As some of you may already know I am running this year's London Marathon for the MNDA which is a charity that is very close to my heart.
My mum was diagnosed over 4 years ago with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Before her symptoms started she was an avid runner and we made a pact that we would run the London Marathon together. Since that is no longer possible I am going to run the 2010 London Marathon in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It is not a well known disease, in fact many do not know what it does to the body.
This is my Mum's story....
I took up running at the ripe old age of 44. I had an initial, "Run, Fat Boy,Run" experience but was soon hooked. I went to the gym 6 times a week and competed in the odd triathlon- great fun. I ran along behind Alex who competed at Junior Level for the GB team.
My symptoms began insidiously, having a few problems running, then walking, then tripping up, anywhere, which made my girls laugh... (and me too, I must confess). By the time I was diagnosed I was using 2 walking sticks. The diagnosis took two years with an initial diagnosis of a cyst on my spinal cord leading to a massive open spinal cord operation (quite horrific) which was a "red herring". The eventual diagnosis was devastating. Now, four years later, I am more or less confined to a wheelchair and struggle with almost total loss of strength in my arms and hands (this typing is difficult). However, I still work, from home, and try to live as normal a life as one can with this dreaded disease.
MND is a killer; those with ALS (the most aggressive type) can be dead within 18 months to 2 years. (If, at this point, you are thinking of Prof Stephen Hawking, he is an amazing anomaly). The brain produces too much of a chemical which kills off the motor neurons, gradually rendering the voluntary muscles useless. This affects the arms, legs, neck, speech, swallowing and, eventually, breathing. Usually, the respiratory system gives up as the diaphragm is affected and sufferers cannot breathe for themselves.
I am one of the "luckier" ones, having PMA (Progressive muscular atrophy). This disease is slower progressing, but just as destructive. It affects about 15% of MND patients.
There is, currently, no treatment for MND and any money raised for the charity will go towards research into a cure for the disease.
