Hi, my name is Val and at the ripe age of 66 I have decided to run the Morrison's Glasgow Women's 10K Road Race, and to do it for the Multiple System Atrophy Trust  (MSA).  'I've never heard of it'  I can hear you say, well until April 2012 neither my husband, David, nor I had heard of this awful disease.

He died in October 2014 after a second bout of Aspiration Pneumonia, his immune system was just so weak, his body couldn't fight off the infection.

MSA is a very rare degenerative brain disease, often mistaken in the early stages for Parkinson’s Disease, but unlike PD it has no medication and no cure, sufferers who develop it are encouraged to contact the MSA Trust for advice and support and also their local social services for the necessary help.    And believe me, help is what is required.   

We knew it would only end one way, David said he was on a slippery slope, I said ‘We’  were on a slippery slope.  I knew from then on we were in it together, side by side, I couldn't let him face this awful disease alone.  From then on I was his carer 24/7.   It gradually takes away your ability to stand without falling over, to move your legs, use your hands, your handwriting becomes illegible, your bladder fails to work normally, swallowing becomes increasing difficult so that eating and drinking cause real problems with choking and food going into your lungs, eventually and possibly worst  of all - you lose the ability to speak. 

For David that was the most daunting thing he had to face. As a University Professor of Polymer Chemistry at Strathclyde University he had spent his life teaching undergraduate and postgraduate research students - a career he loved.  He coped so bravely with MSA but the thought of being unable to communicate was very, very frightening. 

- more specialist nurses (there are only three, yes three! in

  the whole UK)
- more teaching sessions for health and care

- help to cover the cost of manning phone lines and the

  email helpline

MSA relies solely on voluntary donations and would greatly appreciate your help, as would I.

David never had any retirement, all he wanted to do was go fishing, walking, enjoy the garden, support his beloved Liverpool Football Club – but this disease robbed him of all that.  Amid everything we still laughed, I made it my mission to keep him smiling.   I miss David more than words can say, he was my friend and my soul mate, I could not have been more loved during our 42 years of marriage.   So now I am putting myself out of my comfort zone, training each day, with the help and guidance of Anne-Marie, and I will do my very best to make David proud of me, to raise as much money for the MSA Trust as I possibly can and, equally as important, to raise awareness of MSA so that future sufferers can more easily and readily get the correct help and support they so deserve.

Our families, our friends, neighbours and David's students  - the Polymer Family - have all been a huge support to me, helping me through what has been such a sad and emotional time. Thank you all for just being there.

Check out the MSA website : www.msatrust.org.uk    for more information about symptoms and how to get information and help, etc.