MS is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system and is accompanied by many different symptoms and side effects that vary from person to person. Both my mum and my dad's twin sister Thandi have the condition, which can be managed through varying treatments, but as yet can not be stopped from gradually impacting your quality of life through reduction in physical movement, mental stability and uncertainty of when an attack may occur. 

Though my mum has a type of MS which she can partially recover from after each attack, without the research and understanding of the disease that exists and the support she has been provided (and if she wasn't a crazy, stubborn superwoman), having the motivation to overcome a paralysed leg, or sudden blindness in one eye would have been all the more difficult. Running the marathon in September, in defiance of what MS may stop her from doing in the future, is something she may not have been able to do without the knowledge that MS is getting closer and closer to scientific and medical breakthroughs that could support her through and reduce the likelihood of attacks she may not be able to recover from in the future. I want to see my mum growing old, learning to tap dance (some people aren't crazy enough to stick with the marathons) and be able to reflect on how MS might have impacted her life, if advances hadn't have been made. Each penny donated here has the potential to change her future. 

I've been making my way to the target. Check out my online shop at: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MSMakeathon