On November 12th 2023 we lost dad to a disease nobody knows too much about, Multiple System Atrophy. A neurodegenerative brain disease which you'd only know you have when its too late. It not only adds pain to the person but everyone around them, and when they're as good as a person as dad was, it hurts that bit more.

Dad passed halfway through training for my first charity marathon last year, and running became an outlet to get away from thoughts, emotions, and overall grief of what he had been through.

For next year, I wanted to turn the running into more of a celebration for dad's life, so the plan is to run from Glasgow (dad's birthplace), to Walney Island (where he lived). Over 4 days, running 260km from July 11th and finishing on dad's birthday, July 14th 2025.

The charity of choice, again, is the MSA Trust. Who helped us all look after dad during his time with the disease.

Any donation is appreciated, and sharing for the awareness means just as much!

Thanks, Scott

My Dad's Story

For years my dad had been experiencing some symptoms such as vivid dreams, but during lockdown 2020 these progressed to some shuffling when walking and slurred and delayed speech. Most were overlooked or put down to other things by health professionals (if we could even see anyone throughtout lockdown). By the time he was seen by a neurologist is October 2020, like most people with MSA they diagnosed dad with Parkinson’s, he started on Parkinson’s medication, but unfortunately, this didn’t have any effect.

Fast forward a week from diagnosis and unfortunately we had a family bereavement, and dad caught COVID 19, the stress and the COVID combined meant he went from being independently mobilising to bed bound, hospitalised and requiring oxygen. As a family we had the dreaded call from the doctor at the local hospital to ‘expect the worst’. But in true Dad style, he managed to overcome the odds and was discharged back home, but was unable to walk, and only stand for a few seconds with support.

After being discharged, Dad was determined to walk again, and started some rehabilitation to get him back on his feet. In this time his head began to drop to his chest and he couldn’t look up without the support of others pushing his head into a upright position, and began wearing a neck brace. Along side this dad went from 18 stone to 10 stone and his voice started to decline, and communication became difficult. Due to the medication not being effective and the rapid decline, we got an appointment with the movement specialists in Liverpool, who took one look at dad and diagnosed him with MSA.

In 2022, my dads health was so bad that he made the decision to have a hospital bed brought to the home, Dad had sepsis and again we were told to expect the worst.

Within 2 years, dad had gone from a full time job, being independent and driving, to fully bedbound, unable to stand, unable to feed himself, unable to communicate and most of the day, unable to open his eyes. He relies on my mum for all his most basic needs to be met. Alongside my incredible mum, a team of district nurses and care staff work tirelessly to meet his every need. Although my dads body failed him, he was still the brightest one in the family and remembered pretty much everything we didn't, and his personality remained!

I want to raise money for MSA Trust as most professionals have little/no understanding of MSA, with doctors and specialists asking us about the condition my dad had.

MSA trust have answered the questions that no one else has had the answers to, and gave sound advice to not only us but other professionals that supported Dad.

There is no cure, no reasoning behind it, and nothing known to slow down the progression of the disease. The aim is not only to raise money for MSA Trust but to make people aware of one of the worst and cruelest diseases many people have never heard of.