Story
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">I was diagnosed with MG when I was 14 and have had varying symptoms, relapses & various treatments for 12 years now; including major surgery at the beginning to remove my thymus gland & now daily doses of different drug treatments to keep the symptoms at bay. It’s a really frustrating condition – and even if I get the slightest infection it can upset the delicate balance and set off the MG which means that there are times for instance when maybe I can’t smile properly or perhaps raise my arms above my head to wash my hair or move my legs enough to climb the stairs – simply because those muscles won’t work. The scariest time for me was when my breathing muscles collapsed and I ended up in ITU on a ventilator for 10 days, but that didn't hold me down for too long! </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">I have been lucky enough to be in the care of an amazing neurologist based in Oxford under the NHS since I was 14 and I still find it difficult to explain what MG is..so bare with me while i do.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and excessive muscle fatigue. It is uncommon, affecting about 15 in every 100,000 individuals in the UK. The disease can vary in severity and distribution of weakness between individuals, and in any one patient the symptoms fluctuate with relapses and remissions. Myasthenia gravis can resolve spontaneously, but for most patients myasthenia gravis persists for life. It can be life threatening, but 90% of patients become symptom-free with modern treatments.<br></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">It doesn’t have a high profile & as far as I am aware nobody famous has it. But that doesn’t mean that the charity doesn’t need your support; to find the causes, better and alternative treatments & always with the hope of eradicating it altogether.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">So please dig deep and donate now.</span></span></strong></p>
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