Alan Ramsden, my husband, Dad to Rachel and Joe, Grandpa to Abby and Jack, died on Monday 27^th July 2009 and we don’t know how we are going to live without him.  Alan had been diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy, a neurological illness that affects only six people in every one hundred thousand.  Alan, however, was not defined by his illness; in spite of all his problems, he retained his wicked sense of humour and, thankfully, his intellect was unimpaired.

Four weeks before Alan died, we went on holiday to Burgundy, France.  The holiday took a fair amount of organisation but was well worth it.  We even enjoyed a 6 km walk along a ‘voie verte’, with Alan commenting that I was ‘a bit out of breath’ on the uphill stretches!

MSA is a complex condition, affecting every aspect of life and is little understood; research is made difficult because of the few people who are affected.  Alan has made the biggest donation possible, by giving his brain for research into the disease and I would like to quote from a letter I received this morning from the Institute of Neurology: “I hope it will be of some consolation to you and your family that many people with neurological disorders may be offered help as a result of your husband’s priceless legacy”. 

Rachel, Joe and I are very pleased that you have visited Alan’s page and would like to thank you for your donation to Sarah Matheson Trust.   Please be assured that any amount you kindly donate will be well used and will not be seen by anyone else who visits the site; the amount will be seen by the Sarah Matheson Trust  and the name and any comments by the family.

Thank you