I am absolutely honoured to be running the London Marathon for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, to help beat MS, and help those who are suffering with MS.

My wonderful Grandma, my Mamgu (Mam-gee (hard g), welsh for Grandmother), has suffered with MS for over 15 years. It is heartbreaking to see one of your loved ones deteriorate over the years and feel so incredibly helpless.

Multiple sclerosis is a lifelong condition that affects the brain and nerves. MS is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves, and it’s this damage that causes the increase in disability that can occur over time.

From the moment Mamgu was first diagnosed with MS, to the present day, she has never let it define her or affect her beautiful, affectionate, loving personality. Even with 4 cheeky and energetic grandchildren back in the day, ‘no’ was never in her vocabulary, and she continued to entertain us, care for us and spoil us until we were too cool to play dress up and hungry hippos anymore.

As the years have passed, the MS has affected Mamgu to the point where she is now completely paralysed from the neck down, only being able to now move her head and mouth. After her condition deteriorated to the point where she needed round the clock care, my Dad and Aunty made the difficult decision to place Mamgu into a nursing home, where she now receives that care and most importantly, company from other people. Visiting Mamgu is bitter sweet, as it is so special and wonderful to see and spend time with her, moments I will treasure (especially living so far away), but also a reminder of the reality of living with MS, and how much people take life for granted, from being able to wipe your own nose, to bringing a cup of tea to your mouth to drink it, both of which Mamgu can no longer do.

Despite the heartbreaking reality of having a loved one living with MS, I have seen first hand how donations to MS charities have helped people suffering with the disease. Through these incredibly generous donations, a wheelchair has been made especially for Mamgu, to fit her body and needs perfectly. As well as this, considering the possibility that the MS will start to affect Mamgu’s voice to the point of losing it completely, a company has visited Mamgu to record her speaking 50 sentences which will be loaded onto a machine for her to use, so she will still be able to speak to us, in her own voice, using this machine which will be eye activated, which is simply just amazing.

So for those who know me, you will know that running, specifically long distance, has never been ‘my thing’, nor is it something I have ever enjoyed or been marginally good at. Memories of doing the 800m at a school competition and coming (embarrassingly) last haunt me…I was more of the 100m sprint type as it’s usually done in less than 30 seconds…lovely! So what better challenge to set myself than running the London Marathon and try to raise as much money as possible for the Multiple Sclerosis Society!

Any donations, large or small, will mean so much to me, my wonderful family, and my beautiful Mamgu, and will hopefully contribute to helping as many people and families as possible, live with MS.

Mamgu, you are an inspiration, my everything, this is for you!

Thank you so much,

Natalie x

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