Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Sadly i must announce that my mother passed away yesterday, 3rd June, just before 8.30pm. It was very peaceful. My step-father and i were both with her at the time. 

In June 2013 my mother was initially diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. By November 2013 it was clear that what she had, whilst similar to the initial diagnosis, was not Parkinson's Disease. In May 2014 it was confirmed that my mother has a rare, degenerative, terminal disease called Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).

Before becoming ill my mother was a leading expert on the Russian Paper & Packaging industry supplying information to many multi-national companies, government and industry groups. She produced her own powerpoint presentations for her own conferences and was invited to speak at conferences from London to Vienna and Moscow to New York. She is now unable to use a keyboard or write her name.

Now my mother cannot walk and can barely be understood when she speaks. She cannot hold her grandchildren or read them stories. My mother struggles to eat and drink and needs round-the-clock care which is provided by my amazing step-father with assistance from professional carers.

The Multiple System Atrophy Trust provides support for families like ours, raises awareness of MSA and funds specialist nurses and research.

On 30th May 2016 I shall be dressing in orange (the MSA Trust colour) and walking from Knighton to Kington and back again; a distance of over 26 miles. I shall do this in one day in the hope of raising awaness of this cruel disease and much needed funding for the MSA Trust.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.