Multiple Sclerosis is something I've been closely aware of for pretty much all of my life (that I can remember at least).  Both my wife and mother have MS - my mum was diagnosed in 1981 and my wife in 2012, and they are 2 of approximately 100,000 people in the UK with this condition.

As a result I'm very aware of the effect this evil disease can have on people and those around them, and this challenge is my attempt to help raise awareness of and to fight this hideous condition, and to help give back to the many people who help along the way and will continue to do so into the future.  Accordingly please donate as much as you are comfortable to do so to help me with this challenge.  Every penny you donate will go to helping the MS Society - none of it is funding me on a nice trip I assure you as I am paying for that myself!

From my seat on the sidelines one of the best descriptions of what life is like with MS is the Spoon Theory - copy and paste the link below into your web browser to read more.

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

MS is incredibly cruel, scary and heart-breaking, capable of robbing people of their ability to function, their dignity (and their spoons) on a seemingly random basis.  I don't know how I would cope being in a position daily knowing you may wake up unable to see out of one of your eyes, or to feel a limb, or to stand up/speak/control your bladder properly, and so on.  And to make it worse, how must it feel also knowing that you may never recover that ability, and even if you do then it is unlikely to be to the level you had it previously?  And to live with this every day on top of things you may have already lost, as well as having to deal with being chronically fatigued much of the time.

Your money will help the MS Society in funding research and fighting for better treatment and care to help people with MS take back control. With your support, we will beat MS.  However, finding a cure is just part of the challenge.  MS causes nerve damage and scarring in the brain and central nervous system so that messages do not travel along the nervous system as they're meant to.  Even if a cure is discovered tomorrow, support for those with MS would still be needed for many years to come as a cure will not fix the already damaged nervous system.

To help raise funds I will be trekking approximately 80 (very hilly) kilometres of the Great Wall of China in Oct 2017.  The trek is very varied, passing through woodland and terraced farmland, and following the contours of the beautiful hills and mountains in remote areas north of Beijing. We follow old sections of the Great Wall, as well as restored (but still very hilly) sections with smooth flagstones. It is not just a jolly and will require some decent preparation by myself (especially given my flat feet, lack of knee cartilage, multiple screwed disks, big nose, beard, etc).

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.