September 2022 

My lovely Mum sadly died on 23 August 2022 and I will now also be running in her memory. Mum was one of the bravest people and remained strong even when her body was tired.  She kept smiling through the hardest of days and in the face of everything her illness took from her.  It was heartbreaking to see Mum suffer with MSA and any donations you can make to this important charity would be very gratefully received.

July 2022

I'm doing the Great North Run on 11 September 2022 to raise funds for the MSA Trust.  

In early 2016 my Mum was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). MSA causes progressive damage to nerve cells in the brain and affects balance, movement, swallow and speech, amongst other functions. The causes of MSA are not known and there's currently no cure and no way of slowing its progression. 

Most people, including many health professionals, will never have heard of MSA which can make it difficult to get a diagnosis - the initial symptoms often being mistaken for other conditions.

Since Mum’s diagnosis her condition has deteriorated, rapidly at times, with the loss of her mobility and more recently her speech. Anyone who knows Mum will appreciate how incredibly frustrating this must be for her as she loves to talk, a lot, a characteristic I may have inherited! Despite this, and needing care and support for all her basic needs, Mum remains her lovely happy self.

The MSA Trust has been an invaluable source of information and a huge support for Mum and our family.

I'm hoping to raise awareness of MSA and much needed funds for the MSA Trust and it would be fantastic if you could support me by making any donation you can. You can sponsor me via this site - it's quick, easy and totally secure. 

If you're a UK taxpayer please tick the Gift Aid box as this will increase your donation by at least 25% at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you for your support!