#TEAMTRAV! 

Travis Munn was a professional footballer before the illness stopped his career. He found out about Professor Chris Denton through searching through the internet after he had been told by his doctor the only thing we can do is give tablets to ease your pain but with this illness there is no cure and couldn’t say how long but definitely will be fatal.

As many of you already know Travis was diagnosed with Scleroderma. 

Scleroderma is a rare, chronic disease of the immune system, blood vessels and connective tissue where the immune system becomes overactive and attacks healthy tissue in the body and can be fatal when it spreads to the internal organs.

This horrible disease has completely changed his life. Once he was a fit professional footballer, and now he struggles with everyday life.

It started with Raynuads when he was around 18, where blood doesn’t get to his hands and feet and they start turn white or blue, and all of a sudden he went from being one of the fittest on the team to not being able to keep up at all. We went to the doctors to get some answers and after many tests he was told he had the condition. When he got diagnosed, it was an answer but also a very scary time. The realisation that there wasn't a cure and that this condition would affect him for the rest of his life was huge. Travis regularly gets bouts of fatigue, the raynauds affects him every day and he often gets ulcers on the ends of his fingers and his feet and ankles. His skin is so tight, especially on his face and hands and it has reduced his movement. He has been on a lot of medication which comes with its own side affects and monthly blood tests.

After doing some research, we found Professor Chris Denton at the London Royal Free Hospital. He has made it possible for us to go to London and have treatment. He has tried most medications available and yet none of them have worked. Travis is now going through a stem cell transplant - a very dangerous and 'last resort' treatment to try and stop his disease from causing any further debilitating damage. His recovery will take a long time, but there are still others far less fortunate than him, for whom there is no cure.

The Royal Free is the largest centre in the UK to specialise in the treatment and research of Scleroderma. He has been extremely lucky to have his care led by Professor Chris Denton, Professor of Experimental Rheumatology, who has dedicated more than 25 years of his life to finding a cure for those affected by the disease. 

 Thank you all for your support to Travis and his family. This journey with scleroderma has been hard on us all. 

Any donations towards this fantastic charity would be amazing. The work they do is truly fantastic! All monies raised will go straight to Professor Denton's Royal Free Scleroderma Unit and will be most gratefully received. 

Thank you 😊🙏🏼🙌🏼

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.chad.co.uk/news/former-mansfield-town-player-with-deadly-disease-undergoes-pioneering-treatment-with-hopes-of-getting-back-into-action-1-9451564/amp

Big thanks to Chelsea Reason, Jade Lesha Benjamin and my wife Harriet Rose Munn for helping me do this whilst I am in hospital xx

The aim of the Royal Free Charity is to support patients every step of the way to make their experience the best it can be. For each patient that need is different. The Charity provides support through trained volunteers, additional equipment, improved environments and patient based research. The Royal Free London hospital sites include Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals and includes specialist centres for rare diseases as well as general medical care.