At the age of 50, my mum took up running marathons to raise money for children in Kenya and for PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a terminal degenerative brain disease), which my Pop, her dad had. A few years ago she got bad knees and was told by the doctors that she had a choice - either to keep running for a few more years and then be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life or stop running and play with your grandchildren. My mum found the decision easy to make, her grandchildren. A couple of years later her symptoms started with loss of balance. After 2 years of ongoing tests and frustrations she then received the news that she will never be able to play with her grandchildren again.

My mum was finally diagnosed with MSA in January 2013. She deteriorated quite rapidly and passed away on 4th November 2014. I was my mum's carer and she lived with me, my husband, Geoff, and two daughters, Chloe and Olivia. In the last few months of her life, it was horrific. Mum was fully aware, but her body gave up on her. No-one should have to go through their last moments of life like that and no-one should have to see it. The one thing that I kept thinking of when I was caring for her was that an animal wouldn't be allowed to suffer like this, why does my mum have to? If I can raise some money so someone in the future can find some drug to make life more bearable for someone else, then I will be happy.

Multiple System Atrophy is a totally indiscriminate terminal neurodegenerative disease that affects 3,000 people in the UK. Caused by degeneration of nerve cells in several areas of the brain, this devastating disease causes problems in movement, balance and automatic functions of the body such as bladder and blood pressure control; ultimately resulting in the person being ‘locked in’ their own body. There is no cure for MSA. 

MSA Trust (the Trust) receives no Government support and relies entirely on charitable donations to fund our support services as well as research into finding the cause and cure for multiple system atrophy (MSA).

£10 could provide a family who is coming to terms with a MSA diagnosis a vital support pack offering much needed information

£40 could pay for an hour of research to understand the symptoms of MSA and to learn whether the disease has any genetic links.

So please dig deep and donate now.