Hello, I’m Linda, housewife and mother of 4, and somewhat obsessed with raising funds for research into a cure for MS! I have chosen to do this via the University of Edinburgh who are trustees for THE ANNE ROWLING REGENERATIVE NEUROLOGY CLINIC in Edinburgh.

I am driven to this because my lovely son, Stuart, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was just 15 years old. He’d been a healthy and active teenager to that point, yet MS selected him at random one night as he slept in bed causing him to wake with numbness and double vision. No doubt there is a more scientific explanation, but the bottom line of it is that MS picked a fight with my son; therefore, it has picked a fight with me, and I WILL WIN, because once a Mum; always a Mum! Stuart is now 29 and his life has so cruelly changed. Instead of his calendar being plastered with social
engagements it is filled with and endless string of medical appointments. Despite on-going medication, he is in constant pain. There is no way I can sit back and watch this happen to Stuart.

MS is the most common progressive neurological condition affecting young adults, with diagnosis generally between the ages of 20 and 40. It is the result of damage to the myelin - a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged this interferes with messages from the brain and other parts of the body causing a wide range of symptoms including fatigue, mobility issues and problems with co-ordination. For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. For everyone, it makes life unpredictable.

THERE IS CURRENTLY NO CURE FOR MS. If I were a scientist I’d work 24/7 to find that cure, but I’m not that clever. Therefore, it is my mission to raise funds to enable the people who do have those special skills to work on finding the cure for MS which is so badly needed by Stuart; 10,500 others in Scotland (more per capita than anywhere in the world); 100,000 in the UK and 2,500,000 in the world.

Initially, I began raising funds through the MS Society - raising approximately £26,000 from March 2015 to March 2017 by auctioning donated ‘deals’ through my dedicated Facebook page: ‘MS Auctions’ (www.facebook.com/MSAuctionsLDC).

However, I have been particularly impressed by the work of a lesser known Edinburgh-based charity, ‘The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic’, and I am delighted that they have welcomed me as a voluntary fundraiser.

Anne Rowling, born in 1945, was the mother of the author J.K. Rowling, famous for her Harry Potter books. Anne died in 1990 from complications related to multiple sclerosis.

In 2010, when J.K. Rowling herself reached the age at which her mother died, she donated £10M to the University of Edinburgh to found a clinic in her mother’s name. The Clinic officially opened in January 2013. Laboratory-based and clinical research underpins the activities of the Anne Rowling Clinic. The research targets the discovery of treatments that will slow progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The ultimate-goal is to repair the damage—so-called Regenerative Neurology.

The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic is a charitable University of Edinburgh research facility focusing on a wide range of neurological conditions, especially neurodegenerative diseases. All charitable activities in aid of The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic are administered by the University of Edinburgh Development Trust; registered charity number SC004307.

Neurological diseases represent one of the major public health threats in the industrialised world. These diseases include multiple sclerosis (MS), motor neurone disease (MND or ALS), Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, cognitive disorders and dementias, brain haemorrhage after stroke, Huntington's disease and fragile X syndrome.

The clinic aim to improve patients' lives through research: translating laboratory findings into clinical trials and ultimately, new therapies.

So, please use this page to help me to fight the fight for those who have run out of ammunition. You can make a huge difference by donating even just the smallest amount, or better still, bid on items on the ‘MS Auctions’ on Facebook page. I auction in 2 phases each year: every day throughout March to May and returning with the ‘Merry ChristMS’ auctions from October to mid-December. Please also contact me if you could donate goods/vouchers/services/accommodation deals for me to auction. 

As The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic depends entirely on charitable fundraising and the support of the public, your contribution will be invaluable. I'm specifically raising funds for research into a cure for MS. This research costs
roughly just £1 a minute – yes, it really is that little! So, a £10 donation could fund the 10 minutes in which a cure is found to transform the lives of so many innocent victims of MS worldwide!

There are no words to adequately express my gratitude for your support. To understand how grateful I am you need to step into my shoes. Imagine that this was YOUR son/daughter who was in constant pain and anguish with an incurable disease – every single penny is a step closer to making a difference and changing lives. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they will send your money directly to The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic via the University of Edinburgh Development Trust.

Thank you so much.