Dear Friends,

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to read the following words...

Seven years ago I lost my grandmother to a neurological disorder call Multiple Systems Atrophy six years after she was diagnosed with the disorder.  MSA is a progressive neurological disorder that is ultimately terminal. It affects basic bodily functions like bladder control; it slowly and steadily stiffens and weakens the body to the degree that walking and independent feeding and bathing become impossible; and it severley impedes movement, coordination and balance.

My grandmother deteriorated steadily over a long period and ultimately passed away in the night. She was treated with a cocktail of drugs targeting the individual symptoms, including her diminishing optimism. MSA does not affect memory, intellect or personality other than the depression it causes. The real horror of MSA is that the sufferer becomes a prisoner in their own body. I really cant think of anything much scarier.

For those courageous and loving enough to act as carers, the journey is long, tough, heartbreaking and can completely overtake your life for a long period of time providing care and in the adjustment period afterwards. The impact of living and breathing sadness, loss and inevitability over a long period of time is profound; such is the sacrifice.

I wish to honour the heroics of my own family in providing care and support at such personal cost, as well as to celebrate a life cut sadly short. I shall be running the British 10k London Run raising money for the Sarah Matheson Trust for information, support, education and research in Multiple Systems Atrophy. My aim is to help provide financial support to the trust in the knowledge that it will provide support to those unfortunate enough to come to rely on its much needed support, and hopefully to further aid research into a cure.

The Sarah Matheson Trust helped support many of our needs and is the only organisation dedicated solely to MSA. The Sarah Matheson trust aims to:

Provide information and support to people living with MSA and their families
Raise awareness of the condition and its treatment, especially among healthcare professionals
Promote and sponsor research into MSA, its cause, treatment and ultimately its cure

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So please dig deep and donate now. Do some good today.