We are 'The Motor-Vators' and we are running / walking / jogging / crawling 50km in the Cotswold Way Challenge to raise money for motor neurone disease/ALS research. This is a deeply personal challenge for the team as we have family members who are currently battling the disease.
Motor neurone disease or ALS is a fatal, progressive disease that attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. Around 5,000 people are affected at any one time in the UK and a persons lifetime risk of developing MND is around 1 in 300. Unfortunately, there are no treatments currently available to significantly slow or stop the disease.
During the last few years, huge progress has been made by neuroscientists and neurologists around the world but they are still restricted by financial constraints. There are incredibly talented people in the UK working on finding more effective treatments for the disease including people at places like UCL Queens Square, the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Kings College London and the Oxford MND Centre.
We believe, more than at any time in the past, the research is at a critical stage and funding can make a real difference. The breakthroughs that are made in MND research also help towards developments in other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease.
Having committed over a total of £2 million to MND/ALS research, charities like the My Name'5 Doddie are helping to lead the effort to end MND/ALS. We are raising money for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, which was founded in November 2017. The charity's aims are simple:
1) Fund Research that makes a difference and 2) To try and help individuals suffering from MND/ALS.
We hope that with further funding, soon, more effective therapies will be available to people suffering from this devastating disease. We are running for everyone who is affected by motor neurone disease - End ALS.