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There is no cure for MND, but there are treatments to help reduce the impact it can have on some patients lives whilst living with the diagnosis.  Some people can live with the condition for many years but for some it has a rapid onset and MND will lead to death.

Bulbar Syndrome accounts for the majority of the worst symptoms of ALS. The loss of the ability to swallow changes eating and drinking from a pleasurable task to a burden of survival.  Loss of communication effectively imprisons the patient in a state of isolation.

With Bulbar Syndrome, Brian lost his voice quickly and was within a few months of diagnosis nil by mouth, with a PEG fitted only 6 months after this.  Losing the ability to communicate was one of the most difficult things for him.  The MND team at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough helped with talking technology that could speak for him, which helped him feel able to meet with friends and tell doctors about the changes and progression of his symptoms to ensure the right medication and care.

He fought a stoic battle but was losing his fight with breathing as the muscles in his throat and chest weakened his diaphragm resulting in him being reliant on a vent almost 24 hours per day.  

Brian sadly passed away 10 months after his diagnosis on 24th March 2022.

We want to raise crucial funds so that the MND team can continue their support and incredible work, helping local patients diagnosed with this debilitating and terminal illness.  It is important that, particularly during their final months, that patients are made to feel as comfortable as possible, through additional treatments and home/hospice care.  

We also hope that money raised can help to better understand the onset of the Bulbar Syndrome that takes away quickly some of a patients basic abilities changing their time left even more cruelly.

To raise these funds, on Brian's Birthday, 30th September 2022, 4 cyclists will be riding from Manchester. His birthplace (and home of his beloved Manchester United FC) to his final resting place of Middlesbrough, his home for over 60 years.  The event will end at the James Cook Hospital, where the MND team for the local area are based.

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