HICKATHRIFT PRESS

Motor Neurone Disease is supposed to be a rare disease, but three people in my life have been on the journey of this rare, progressive neurological condition that destroys the nerves controlling voluntary muscles. My sister, brother and I nursed my father through MND, my godfather’s wife, who was like a surrogate mother to me, died of it and my partner’s wife too. The person experiencing Motor Neurone Disease is just as mentally alert as they ever were, but you watch them developing increasing muscle weakness, stiffness, and their bodies begin wasting away. It’s a cruel disease. My father first noticed it when I was on a walk with him in Devon, and he tripped and fell. He laughed it off, and we continued, but after this, his walking began deteriorating, and he started dragging his left foot. When he had problems dragging himself around the aisles of a major trade show in Essen, Germany, he sought an appointment with his doctor, who was very noncommittal and sent him home. So he sought an appointment with another doctor, who referred him to a neurological consultant. My father, thinking it was just a trapped nerve, was devastated by the prognosis, knowing the future was bleak.

My father was still working at the age of 81 and used to spend weekend after weekend away walking, climbing, cycling and potholing when he was younger. As a child, I can remember sitting at the bottom of rock climbs, going out in a canvas canoe and walking the Pennine Way and Hadrian’s Wall with him when I was thirteen. Thus, my childhood of adventuring developed my own love of the mountains and walking, mountaineering and cycling.

After developing limb weakness, resulting in difficulty climbing stairs and frequent tripping, my father developed weak hands, leading to trouble gripping or performing everyday tasks like writing or buttoning clothes, and then his speech became slurred, and he had difficulty swallowing, which meant he could no longer eat through his mouth, and lastly, he had difficulties breathing.

There is no cure for MND, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It occurs when the specialised nerve cells (motor neurones) in the brain and spinal cord stop working and die prematurely. Without messages from these nerves, muscles can no longer move, causing them to weaken and atrophy.

Half of the funds raised from this ride will support research into Motor Neurone Disease, helping the scientific community better understand the condition and move closer to effective treatments. The other half will go to the Oxfordshire Branch of the MNDA, enabling them to provide the best possible support to local people living with MND, as well as their carers and families.

I would like to say such a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported this ride so far, and thank you to anyone who supports me further into the ride. I really want to do what I can to support people facing the same situation. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.