A friend/fellow dad has a daughter suffering from a terrible condition. Now actually being a father I can truly understand that I would do absolutely anything to protect/help your children. We are raising direct as we are helping to fund further research for a cure direct for Miles 4 Meg (hence the personal page). How did I get to this...Richard inspired me to say the least, his journey has been incredible and seeing his strength/determination with training and building such an incredible event to support his daughter, I couldn't not get involved.

Please donate what ever you can spare.

much love x

more detail:

Meg is 15. She was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) just over a year ago, and is already dependent on a wheelchair. She has now been told that her ataxia is far more aggressive than was previously suggested, and she’ll need to be fully aided and to use a fully automated wheelchair within the next year. There is no cure for ataxia: the only guarantee with FA is that tomorrow will be ever so slightly worse than today; there’s no way to stop it.

Why we need your support

Ataxia research is very encouraging with some real breakthroughs, such as animal studies that show ataxic symptoms being reversible if caught early. An FA-specific research project is underway that also looks promising – and it needs funding.

Ataxia UK is working with the University of Bristol and FARA (Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance) on an exciting new 18-month project, studying stem cell mobilising drug as a potential treatment for FA (Granulocyte colony stimulating factor or GCSF). The study, held at the University of Bristol, builds on previous ataxia research undertaken by Dr Alastair Wilkins that tested bone marrow stem cells as a treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). Dr Wilkins’ research indicated that bone marrow stem cells not only protect nerve cells, but help to repair the nervous system.

The University of Bristol researchers now believe that increasing the circulation of the body’s own stem cells is a promising approach for therapeutic success. Half of the funds are being met by FARA, and Ataxia UK will be funding the remaining £29,000 to complete the project.

Our aim

Megan will qualify for this trial on her 18th birthday. Until then, funding is needed for this research and small clinical trials to continue, which we hope can defeat this truly horrific condition. I must try everything to get Megs involved in this research, or I fear FA will slowly take her body and life away from her.

We want to raise the £29,000 to fund the FA trial at the University of Bristol. I want to support this work, find a cure and have Megan take part in these trials if she can. I will do anything to make this happen and I hope you can help me get there before it’s too late.

A three-day EPIC Sportif from 18-20 September 2018: a bike ride from London to Mt Snowdon in North Wales, followed by a climb up to the summit. That’s 250 miles on a bike and a 3000ft assent to the summit of Mount Snowdon in just three days. We’re building a team of 30 to 40 people to take part.

This is the most unforgettable epic sportif event of the year and we’re all training not just to achieve this huge journey, but to support ataxia research that could change Meg’s, and many others’ futures forever. With your support, we can.

Email me now for more details at Richieb1@hotmail.com

Make a donation

Help us support this crucial research by making a donation below.

Corporate support

There are lots of ways that your company could be involved. They can be a sponsor and perhaps cover one of the costs of the ride, or employees could take part in the ride or another of Ataxia UK's events. Both greatly contribute to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) whilst supporting the cause.

Tell others about what we’re doing

Help us to spread the word about what we’re doing and why. Tell your colleagues about and ask for them to get involved, or to sponsor us. The more people that know about ataxia and the research project the closer we will get to our target.