MND is incurable and, unfortunately, Joy, my Mother-in-Law, isn't with us anymore but her brave battle with MND was inspiring.

Joy had worked hard all of her life and for the last decade had worked tirelessly as her own boss - a head chef at her family owned pub & restaurant, putting every effort into making other people's leisure time, time they spend with their friends and families, as perfect as can be.

Then, after some early symptoms, Joy was diagnosed with Progressive Bulbar Palsy, an aggressive type of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in October 2014.

Her life was flipped upside down and as the disease took hold, she lost more of her life and of herself as each day passed. She was unable to work by the New Year 2015, she could no longer talk or eat and her ability to move and control her arms and legs lessened rapidly. She became locked-in over the next months and Joy sadly died in January 2016.

This disease is unrelenting and MND Association are carrying out pioneering research to unlock answers to slowing the progression of the illness. As a result of this research, their aim is to, in time, work towards prevention. Your donations will fund the continuation of this important work and will also allow MNDA to continue supporting people living with MND and their families.

Like previous years, I’m running the Great Birmingham Run 2016 for Joy Waddingham; my Mother-in-Law - and I want to raise awareness and funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. So I'm running 13.1 miles on the 16th of October 2016. 

Joy will always be in our memory.

I will be joined on this run by some colleagues - Mireille Wathes, Sud Kumar, Danielle Montgomery, Janine Lesueur, Bevin Lesueur and Algirdas Sakickas, and I'd like to thank them for their support and efforts in their training.

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.