Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I will be running the London Marathon later this year to raise £2000 for the MS Society. 

I am running for the MS Society in memory of my Nan and my adopted Grandad, and to ensure that their legacy is one that helps to find better treatments and a cure for MS. My Nan died before I was born, when my mum was 20, after suffering from MS all of her life. She was cared for by my Grandad, who himself suffered from cancer, and my mum cannot remember her ever not being in a wheelchair. My Grandad also died before I was born, and to ensure that we had as much love in our lives as any children with two living sets of grandparents, we gained two adopted grandparents: Lyn and Colin Cooke. 

Lyn and my biological grandparents met via the MS Society, and Lyn helped to look after my mum growing up when her parents were too ill to be able to do so, alongside dealing with her own MS symptoms. Lyn and Colin got married when I was very young, and have always treated us as if we were there own grandchildren, embedding us in their hearts and becoming a part of one another’s family. 

My granddad Colin died in April 2018 after a number of years of his MS deteriorating. A former active diver, pub landlord and incredibly caring man, it was devastating to see him lose the ability to see, walk and do all of the things I knew he loved to do. Whilst these memories of my granddad do not over shadow all of the wonderful ones I do have, I want to be able to ensure my grandparent's legacies are one of a positive future for anyone who has experienced MS in any form, like my Nanny Lyn.

MS is an auto-immune disease which is different for each individual. Your immune system normally protects you by fighting off infection, but in MS it attacks your nerves by mistake. There are over 100,000 people living in the UK with MS. To learn more you can visit: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/about-ms/what-is-ms.

£5 could pay for laboratory essentials like petri dishes and latex gloves. It seems small, but these things are essential to our scientists’
work to stop MS.

£30 could pay to process one blood sample, giving researchers information about genes and the immune system. Information that’s really important when testing new treatments or looking for causes of MS.

£50 could pay for 10 calls to our MS Helpline, so we can be there for people when they need us the most.

£500 could provide a short break grant for someone with MS to enjoy quality time away and a chance to relax without worries.

£2000 could pay for 40 days of our online forum: a place for people with MS, their friends, and family, to connect.