The Bridgend Blue Bulls family has challenged themselves to reach a total of 760 miles in one week through running, walking or biking. This is the distance traveled by our amazing and brave player Sparks who has an autoimmune condition called multifocal motor neuropathy.

What this means is that the nerves that feed the muscles are being attacked by her body - This causes immense daily pain, my muscles constantly twitch/ fascilate.

Sparks has had the condition 8yrs, was initially diagnosed with early onset parkinsonism then MND and it was only due to her determination to prove the doctors wrong did they re-investigate and re diagnose Sparks. Unfortunately during this time a lot of muscle died and Sparks was in a wheelchair for just over a year.
They began a treatment called Ivig immunoglobulin- which is 1000 donors white blood cells. This started working and Sparks started walking again.
Sparks now has to have ivig blood transfusions every 3 weeks and chemotherapy every 6 months. Sparks describes the effects of the Ivig like a bad hangover for 4days. The effects of chemotherapy on Sparks last for about 2weeks with the added pressure of having to stay in for about 4/5 weeks as she has NO immune system at all.
Sparks trains as hard as she can as it gives her more muscle. The effect on her body is like its run a marathon at the end of the day, her body works 50 times harder then a regular person.
It has recently come to light that Sparks has been informed that she is in early stages of kidney distress due to all her treatments.
She will have to begin plasma exchange along with her chemotherapy from now on.

Due to this, She has been informed that she needs to give up contact sports. We as a team are gutted that Sparks won’t be on the field dominating, but will be taking up a new role within the club.

We will be dividing the funds raised between the Jill Rowe Ambulatory Clinic Morriston Hospital and Sparks herself to cover travel costs to and from the hospital.