My sister Cheryl is a loving wife to Tony, and mummy to her gorgeous children Stanley (9) & Eva (6). In August 2017 her life changed forever when she was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), also known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). MND stops the nerves sending messages to the muscles leading them to weaken & waste over time. It's a severely life shortening illness for most people & there is no cure. Since her diagnosis Cheryl has lost the ability to speak, eat and drink. She can no longer use her left arm & hand, her right arm is now weakening. Thankfully she can still walk, but we know her symptoms will deteriorate over time. Throughout this time Tony has been a rock at her side.

Cheryl has always been the life and soul of the party! She is kind, caring, funny & loves being the centre of attention. She has shown such strength, courage & grace over the past 18 months & has kept doing the things she loved for as long as she could. As a family we're seeing the daily impact MND is having on her & it's heart breaking, but Cheryl & Tony continue to face the future with such strength and bravery.

Cheryl has now reached a point where she needs people with her most of the time to help her live her daily life. Tony has given up his regular work to care for her & although this means Cheryl can be cared for by someone she loves and trusts, it adds huge financial stress on top of managing with this life changing disease.

Honestly we feel helpless. We can’t change Cheryl’s diagnosis or the future, but we can continue to support Cheryl & Tony and their beautiful children. One way to do this is to raise money for them to help ease their financial burden and try and ease some of their stress. This will also help towards a family holiday in the UK, giving Cheryl special time with her children to make precious memories.

Wayne & I will run a half marathon in May 2019. Any sponsors for this will be greatly appreciated & all money raised will go directly to Cheryl and Tony.