UPDATE:

Thank you to everyone for the phenomenal support and generosity with your donations. I can report, that I finished the Virtual Marathon in 4hrs 45mins (please see cover photo). You’ve all been incredibly supportive and this event will remain ingrained in my heart forever ❤️

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I was diagnosed with relapsing, remitting MS in 2016 however, my symptoms first started in 2010, when I was diagnosed with CIS (Clinically Isolated Syndrome).

Over the next 5 years, I struggled to engage with my neurologist, and I pretended everything was fine, but in reality it wasn’t. I was experiencing further symptoms/episodes which I ignored. Life moved so fast, I got married, moved house and we had two wonderful daughters. Life was meeting all my expectations and I wasn’t willing to consider a life with MS. 

In 2016, with much deliberation and reflection. I reengaged with my neurologist, after a new MRI; he confirmed my diagnosis of MS.

I’ve been on Tecfidera (DMT) since, apart from the unwelcome side effects (flushing, itching and a runny nose), I’m in a good place. I have a successful career and I continue to push myself physically and mentally.

My family remain my rock; I couldn’t do it without them. I carry an overwhelming sense of guilt in having MS, hoping that my mobility remains so I can enjoy standing side by side with my children throughout their childhood; this marathon is for them. 

I am thankful compared to others, and I think about that frequently. The Dorset Wobblers, a support group with people who have MS, has been great opportunity in meeting likeminded people who share the same condition. We might all be at different points of our life but we are there for each other, with the same golden thread running through us all.

It’s an anxiety provoking disease, the future is unknown and the past can hold unsettling memories; getting the balance is important.

It’s not about what might be, it’s about where I am today. 

Dan

Son, husband, father of daughters, owner of 2 sheep, 1 goat and a dog called Margot 😊