Vicki Knights
Team Knights walking 100km in 2 days around the IOW for MND Association
Fundraising for Motor Neurone Disease Association
Story
Many people don't know much about Motor Neurone Disease.
I always thought it was one of those horrible diseases that happen to other families. Sadly I was wrong.
In September 2014 my wonderful Dad started getting a croaky voice. 17 months later, after many visits to his doctor, he finally got the most feared diagnosis of all, the beast that is MND.
The prognosis was 1-3 years from onset of symptoms, with no effective treatment available and no cure. The devastating news that nobody wants to hear.
Dad battled the illness with bravery, humour and courage. It eventually robbed him of his voice and ability to eat and drink, and finally took his life on 22nd June 2017 at the age of 68 years. I will miss him forever.
MND research is woefully underfunded. It's unbelievable that in this day and age there is a horrific disease like this. A progressive terminal disease that can randomly hit perfectly healthy and fit individuals, without any effective treatment.
Here are some facts about MND that you may not know:
- MND can strike anyone of any age with no family history, but it's most common between the ages of 40-60 years.
- It's only genetic in 5% of cases (both of Dad's parents are still alive in their 90's).
- It's known as the 'fit person's disease' as it often affects people with a very active lifestyle (my Dad played competitive squash for 35 years and ran 5 marathons). No link to any other causes has yet been discovered.
- Your lifetime risk of getting MND is 1 in 300. Sadly it's not as rare as we would like to think it is.
- It's a rapidly progressive disease and is always fatal. There is no effective treatment and no cure. A third of people die within a year of diagnosis, and over 50% die within 2 years.
Pretty bleak isn't it?
The only thing you can do to help is to donate to help find an effective treatment, and hopefully one day, a cure.
Karl and I are walking 106km (66 miles) in 2 days around the whole of the Isle of Wight in May 2018. It's going to be a gruelling challenge, but we'll do anything to get one step closer to finding a cure for this beast of a disease.
Dad was so happy when I told him we were doing this, so please help us raise as much money as possible in his memory. I want to make him really proud. :-)
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
I always thought it was one of those horrible diseases that happen to other families. Sadly I was wrong.
In September 2014 my wonderful Dad started getting a croaky voice. 17 months later, after many visits to his doctor, he finally got the most feared diagnosis of all, the beast that is MND.
The prognosis was 1-3 years from onset of symptoms, with no effective treatment available and no cure. The devastating news that nobody wants to hear.
Dad battled the illness with bravery, humour and courage. It eventually robbed him of his voice and ability to eat and drink, and finally took his life on 22nd June 2017 at the age of 68 years. I will miss him forever.
MND research is woefully underfunded. It's unbelievable that in this day and age there is a horrific disease like this. A progressive terminal disease that can randomly hit perfectly healthy and fit individuals, without any effective treatment.
Here are some facts about MND that you may not know:
- MND can strike anyone of any age with no family history, but it's most common between the ages of 40-60 years.
- It's only genetic in 5% of cases (both of Dad's parents are still alive in their 90's).
- It's known as the 'fit person's disease' as it often affects people with a very active lifestyle (my Dad played competitive squash for 35 years and ran 5 marathons). No link to any other causes has yet been discovered.
- Your lifetime risk of getting MND is 1 in 300. Sadly it's not as rare as we would like to think it is.
- It's a rapidly progressive disease and is always fatal. There is no effective treatment and no cure. A third of people die within a year of diagnosis, and over 50% die within 2 years.
Pretty bleak isn't it?
The only thing you can do to help is to donate to help find an effective treatment, and hopefully one day, a cure.
Karl and I are walking 106km (66 miles) in 2 days around the whole of the Isle of Wight in May 2018. It's going to be a gruelling challenge, but we'll do anything to get one step closer to finding a cure for this beast of a disease.
Dad was so happy when I told him we were doing this, so please help us raise as much money as possible in his memory. I want to make him really proud. :-)
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.