Duncan’s Fight2Halt MS

Some of you may know that Duncan has Multiple Sclerosis of the Primary Progressive type, diagnosed in 2012.

We have kept this hidden from friends and family over the last few years as Duncan has tried to lead as normal a life as possible, however in the last few months Duncan’s condition has deteriorated to the extent that we can no longer hide it.

This is a debilitating disease that most neither know or understand and it is slowly taking Duncan’s life from him.

Duncan is a proud, independent person who has worked hard all is life, never asking for help from anyone. He has lived to work and it breaks his heart, and mine, knowing that he can no longer do the job he loves. In fact even the simplest of daily functions that you and I take for granted are beyond his reach more and more every day. He never knows what he can achieve in a day when he wakes in the morning.

Taking a shower leaves him exhausted and fatigued for hours.

Walking more than a few steps is too difficult and he now has to rely on crutches to walk any distance, with a wheelchair on standby. My heart is in my mouth every time he walks as trips and falls are becoming more and more frequent, recently dislocating his shoulder.

His cognitive skills have deteriorated to the extent that he can no longer read more than a few words and can write no more than his name.

His fatigue is so bad that he cannot see a day through without taking an afternoon nap.

Crowded places and too many people exhaust him to the point of despair.

His love of driving too is slowly becoming too much for him to deal with for anything other than short distances.

His independence is being taken from him and every day it is like watching a piece of the husband I know and love slowly dying in front of my eyes.

HSCT (Hematopoeitic Stem Cell Transplant) is a treatment for auto-immune diseases that has been proven to halt the progression of MS, and in some cases may reverse some symptoms. In Duncan’s type of MS it is 70% effective. This treatment is not available in the UK except under trial at 2 hospitals in England and in London, with a strict acceptance criteria, at a cost 3 times more than elsewhere in the world.

We have applied and are extremely fortunate that Duncan has been accepted for treatment in Russia in February 2019.

69 days and counting.

We feel that we have no alternative but to travel to Russia. This is Duncan’s only hope to try and regain control of his life and stop the progression. The outcome of not having this treatment is unthinkable.

We are fighting for his right to live a life without MS.

We are fighting for his right to walk, talk, think and fulfil basic daily needs.

We are fighting for his sanity and we are fighting for our future.

But we cannot do this alone and we ask, we beg, for your help.

We need to raise £43,000.00.

We know it is a huge ask but we ask anyway and hope that our friends and family will do what they can. Every penny raised will mean more than you know.

We will forever be grateful for the opportunity Duncan has been given, no matter the outcome, and for any help offered.

We hope with our campaign to also raise awareness for this debilitating disease and for the many others who suffer daily and who are also travelling to Russia and other countries with the same hope in their hearts.

I will be driving this campaign as Duncan is not able to do so himself but he thanks each and every person who will share this message and will be there with hope every step of the way.

I hope to raise this money through organising some events along with your generosity and will keep you updated on our progress.

We open up our hearts and our lives, live in hope and trust in each and every one of you.

Thank you for reading Duncan’s story and please share with your friends.

4th February 2019 cannot come quick enough.

Thank you.