I first met John 7 years ago when introduced to Annie's family. I could tell instantly how much he cared for Annie and Eliza and it was obvious that he played an important role in their lives, and vice versa.

Samuel, John's son and Annie's step brother, was 7 when I first him. I have honestly never witnessed such care and compassion between a father and son; the relationship these two had was just full of trust and love. John was an honourable man and exceptional role model for Samuel, which makes what happened seem so cruel and unjust.

Last year, after some months of experiencing issues is the his hands and feet, John was diagnosed with Motor Neurones Disease. For those that don't know, Motor Neurones Disease is Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord, gradually stopping messages reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting, affecting how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. It is a degrading, cruel disease which cannot be fully comprehended until witnessed first hand.

Absolutely nothing could have prepared John for this, but he was positive and fought it every day, spending quality time with his family and cherishing every moment together.

This was my first encounter with MnD and hopefully my last, nobody, and I mean nobody, deserves to go through what John went through.

Please support Annie, Eliza, Charlie and I in running the Great North Run, on September 7th this year, to raise money and awareness for Motor Neurones Disease and together, we can help find a cure.

Rest easy John.

As well as funding research, this is where your money could go:

£85 could buy software to enable someone to bank their own voice

£160 will buy a specialist communication app enabling someone who has lost the ability to speak to continue to communicate with others

£280 could fund the coordination of care for someone with MND at a Care Centre for a year

£600 could provide a child affected by MND with eight professional counselling sessions