Dear Friend
I am running the London Marathon for my partner's father who has been newly diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. MND is a highly debilitating terminal illness and affects anyone at any age and any fitness level.
Jeff who up until the early part of last year was a relatively fit 57 year old, looking forward to retirement and the opportunity to travel more, suddenly developed what he termed the "ministry of funny walks" which unbeknown to us at the time was the start of this life changing disease. Many tests and months later, all the while his mobility getting more and more compromised, he was diagnosed with MND.
As you can imagine his quality of life has changed hugely, he can no longer climb stairs and country walks which he enjoyed with his dog are no longer possible, although with the help of a mobility car he will be able to get around a bit more.
Jeff is an upbeat, glass always full type of chap, so his mental outlook is good and he will certainly do all he can to slow down the progression of the disease.
The MND Association does marvellous work in terms of providing support networks and grants for stair lifts, mobility cars and adapting accommodation to cater for people living with the disease, as well as a relief service for families and partners caring for someone living with the illness, who may not be able to improve their quality of life living with the illness due to financial restraints. My target is £5000 so please pledge what you feel you can afford my aim is too complete the marathon in under 5 hours, the hardest part is raising the money in these difficult finanancial times, so thank you for taking the time to read this and for donating.
What is Motor Neurone Disease (MND)?
It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurones. Degeneration of the motor neurones leads to weakness and wasting of muscles, causing increasing loss of mobility in the limbs, and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing.
Why support me and help raise funds for MNDA?
This fantastic organisations mission is to fund and promote research to bring about an end to MND. Meanwhile, whilst funding and promoting the research they also seek to enable everyone with MND to receive the best care, achieve the highest quality of life possible, and die with dignity. They do all that we can to support the families and carers of people with MND.
The Association funds and promotes research to understand what causes MND, how to diagnose it and, most importantly, how to effectively treat it so that it no longer devastates lives.
They campaign tirelessly both nationally and locally for better care for all people with MND, and provide support and advice to help people with the disease and those who care for them to achieve the highest quality of life possible.
Learn more about the association here www.mndassociation.org
Make a safe donation 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.
So please, please dig deep and donate now. Thank you very much for reading.
All my love Emma
