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On Sunday 9^th September 2018, Lauren and I will be completing the Great North Run in support of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society for our brother Scott who was sadly diagnosed with this disease in 2004 (aged 25).

Most people don’t know or understand what MS is and often get it confused with ME, mainly because it is a disease that is complicated and can affect different people in so many different ways.  It is a cruel disease that Scott’s wife, family and extended family have to deal with every day.

MS is an unpredictable and incurable condition that affects people's nervous systems. It can attack suddenly or progress steadily, bringing a range of symptoms which can include sight loss, incontinence, fatigue and mobility problems. No-one with MS can be sure when or how it will affect them this year or in the years to come.

Lauren and I started Newcastle University in 2008, so the GNR is probably the only half marathon that we would ever think of completing and it will probably be our last - for everyone that knows us we are not runners so this will be a big challenge for both of us.

Since 2008 Scott has had ten years of ups and downs, when we left N.I for University he was still on his feet, still landscaping and getting on with normal life with his wife but ten years later he is affected in many ways - he is now in a wheelchair, his short term memory and speech are affected, he has a bad swallow meaning he has to be careful with his food, he gets spasms, seizures and has blurry vision – you name the symptom, he has had it.  I have added a link to find out more about MS!

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/multiple-sclerosis/#types-of-ms

So please help us raise some funds for the MS Society – any contribution no matter how small would mean a lot and will go toward support, advice or research!

• £5 could go toward lab equipment for scientists working on researching and stopping MS

• £50 could pay for 10 calls to the MS helpline providing advice for MS sufferers and their families

• £500 could provide a grant for someone with MS for a special trip or break

• £1,000 could run an MRI scanner for four hours
  providing detailed images of the brain that help understand MS

#doingitforscotty #runforrestrun #orangeisthenewblack