Those of you that know me well know my Dad suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS is a rubbish and unpredictable illness, affecting the nervous system and generally knackering the body out. What's more, it can lay relatively dormant for long periods of time before rearing its ugly head and causing significant relapses for the affected individual.
Dad was diagnosed at 21, and was lucky enough to have (give or take) a decade or so without significant incident. Unfortunately from that point on, it has been a relapsing/remitting disease which has gradually restricted Dad's mobility and made the use of a walker or wheelchair a necessity. Although watching this decline has been hard, one thing has remained constant throughout; Dad's (usually!) cheerful outlook on life and his determination to crack on despite the MS. Whether this be through never grumbling about his mobility, or being ridiculously cheerful in adversity (when found lying face down: "hullo - I've taken a tumble and am just resting here for a minute!"), how he continues to deal with his MS is truly humbling. Saying someone is 'an inspiration' can be a throw-away line used too lightly for celebrities and sportsmen; in my Dad's case - for me - it is no understatement. I am proud of the man.
So, I may not be able to do anything about the MS (other than share the odd dram of whiskey, purely for medicinal purposes), but I can make the effort to support his local MS Therapy Centre. He only has good things to say about the Wessex MS Therapy Centre, and I have seen first-hand the support they provide for him on a sometimes weekly basis. This is my chance to give a little something back to a charity that have given a lot to one of my greatest role models - my Dad. So, I'll do the running, but I'd be hugely grateful if you could spare a few quid for a very good cause. Many, many thanks in advance.
** UPDATE - due to snow causing the Bath Half to be cancelled, I ran the 13.1miles on my own on Sun 4th March **
