Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As many of you know, I along with four other colleagues from the Royal Marsden Hospital are leaving on the 3rd of February to climb Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa standing at over 19,000 ft high!! We have chosen to do the Lemosho route which involves a nine day trek walking for roughly 6 hours per day, from the grassy forest at the bottom to the snow capped peaks at the top.  I'm still not sure what possessed me to do it, but I know that it will be an amazing experience and a huge achievement if I make it to the summit!!!

Although I have funded the trip myself, many of you have asked whether I am doing it for charity and that you would be willing to sponsor me if so.  After having a good think and speaking to one of my best friends Nat, I have decided to do it for the Scottish Borders MS Society.

Natalie, a good friend and former colleague of mine sadly developed MS at the age of 23.  Prior to this Natalie was an amazing staff nurse whom I worked and partied hard with.  She has a fantastic personality, a wicked sense of humour and has the biggest passion for music! She had only just bought her first flat in the west end of Glasgow and life was going swimmingly when she suddenly lost her eyesight whilst at her parents home in Galashiels.  Over the course of a week Natalie deteriorated rapidly, so much so that she was rushed to hospital in Edinburgh where she was eventually admitted to ITU.  After being discharged from ITU to a neurological ward, Nat was left profoundly disabled whereby she was unable to move and speak and was in an immense amount of pain. Initially the medics were unable to diagnose what was wrong and it wasn't until almost a year later that she was finally diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  Thankfully after a long of time in hospital and a lot of treatment and rehabilitation, Natalie has made a remarkable recovery.  She now lives at home in Galashiels with her parents who have become her main carers.  Although progress is slow and I know for Nat very frustrating, every time I see her I notice a massive improvement. Although she is confined to a wheelchair she is now able to stand and walk up and down the stairs at home with assistance from her parents.  Her speech is becoming clearer and her fine motor skills are improving whereby she can now use a computer and mobile phone freely, allowing her to become more and more independent all the time.

Since being home, what has helped Nat are the activities provided to her by the Scottish Borders MS Society, a non profit making organisation run by volunteers.  Along with regular physiotherapy Natalie goes horse riding weekly and does yoga and pilates once a fortnight which helps to improve her movement by keeping her joints supple.  Nat also receives monthly reflexology and a massage every 2 weeks all of which are free of charge and funded purely by the society. They have also helped to fund an exercise bike, motorised wheelchair and computer desk for the home, one which accommodates a wheelchair. Both Nat and her family speak of the emotional support that they have received and how the society gave them the confidence to take her home and care for her there. Natalie and her parents are so grateful for the services and support the MS Society provides and feel that they have done more for her than anyone else. Therefore, after speaking with Natalie I have decided to try and raise as much money for the MS Society as possible so they can continue to provide services to Natalie and others who suffer from MS.

I therefore ask you all to dig deep and give generously and I will think about you all when I am thinking why, oh why did I decide to do this!! Thank you for taking the time to read this. Wish me luck....

Louise x x x

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