This April, I’m running the London Marathon for the MS Society, and I’m doing it for my wife, Deborah.

Deborah was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around ten years ago. MS is an unpredictable, cruel and progressive condition, and it affects her in many ways: fatigue that can be overwhelming, pain, balance issues, and the constant uncertainty of what the future might hold. There are good days and bad days, and you never quite know which kind you’re going to get.

What many people don’t see is how much strength it takes for Deborah to live her life as she does. She always shows up for family and friends through the pain and always engages with the world, even on days when she is exhausted. From the outside, it can be difficult to tell anything is wrong. From the inside, it takes courage, resilience, and determination every single day.

Over the last decade, advances in MS treatment (many supported by research funded by the MS Society) have made a real difference to Deborah’s life. These treatments have helped slow the progression of her MS, reduced relapses, and preserved her independence for longer. They have given us time, stability, and hope that is rooted in science and hard-won progress.

But MS is still a condition that gradually takes things away. Even with the best treatments available, Deborah continues to experience decline. That reality is why the MS Society’s work matters so deeply to us. Through initiatives like the Stop MS Appeal, they are driving the research that could one day stop MS altogether, so that fewer people have to live with this uncertainty and loss.

I’m running the marathon because it is a serious challenge and it feels like a small way of showing respect for the daily challenge Deborah faces, and for the challenge faced by everyone living with MS. Training has also made me acutely aware of something else: how fortunate I am to be healthy, and how important it is to use that good fortune in support of those who are less lucky.

We have supported the MS Society for many years. Now I want to do something more tangible, to turn effort into funding and gratitude into action.

If you are able to sponsor me, you will be helping to fund research, treatments, and support that change lives and give families like ours hope for the future.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for any support you can give.