Back in 2003 when my Dad had just retired from working as a driving instructor at the age of 64, he started falling down for no apparent reason. Just losing his balance and often hurting himself quite badly as he fell and banged his head, one particular day crashing head first into the garage door. This continued for a couple of years and he had various tests to try to establish what was wrong.

Several illnesses were ruled out and then came the fateful day in 2006 when my Mum called me to say that Dad had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.

None of us had any idea what it was, or what the next 15 years would bring…

Dad’s health went downhill very rapidly as his muscles started to waste away gradually. In the space of the next 3 years, he lost use of most of his body, including his voice and his ability to walk. He could no longer do anything for himself.

Mum became his full time carer and that continued until Christmas 2019 when she sadly passed away from Leukaemia. Dad had lost his soul mate and more importantly his companion. Ultimately, his reason to live.

50 weeks later, just before Christmas last year (2020), Dad passed quietly away in his sleep to end what can only be described as 15 years of torture. Trapped inside a body that no longer worked whilst still having a sound mind and knowing exactly what was happening to him.

When Dad was diagnosed, I researched MND to try and get some understanding of exactly what Dad had. I became involved in the local Nottingham branch of the MNDA and over the course of the last 15 years – I’ve been involved with the Committee and am currently Vice Chairman. However, with everything that’s been going on, I have taken a step back over the last couple of years. 

I have grown to hate the disease and what it did to the final years for my Mum and Dad, and the impact it had on us as a family.

There is still no cure for this horrendous disease and there are many local families going through what we have over the passed few years.

So, I have decided to try and raise much needed funds and awareness of the disease.

Fothers Mission 24 (#FM24) will see me run one mile every hour, on the hour, for 24 hours in early July, in a bid to raise as much money as possible through donations and sponsorship.

I’ll be joined on each of these miles by sponsors, donors and friends. So far, cricketing legend, Stuart Broad, has pledged to run one of the miles with me, fixtures permitting. Former Nottingham Forest striker, Nigel Jemson, and Nottinghamshire CCC cricketing legend, Luke Fletcher, have also agreed to join the Mission for a mile each. 

All money raised will go directly to MNDA to help local families living with MND and also help fund research into hopefully finally finding a cure, and ultimately a world free from MND.

If you’d like to get involved, myself and the MNDA would appreciate any support you can offer – no matter how big or small. You can donate via out JustGiving page, or you can sponsor a mile and join me on this Mission.

Thank you.