Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my page and make a donation to what is a very important charity to me - Motor Neurone Disease.

As many of you might be aware, my grandmother, (Ruth Adorian), was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) almost 2 years ago.  I am sure I don’t need to explain how heart breaking this kind of news is, not only for my grandmother but for all our family. Being told that a member of your family is ill is something you never want to hear, but it is even harder to understand when you have such little awareness of the disease.  Having experienced this and realised that if my family and I didn’t really know much about it then lots of others wouldn’t either and that is what has motivated me to decide to run the 2011 London Marathon. I have always wanted to run a marathon in my lifetime but said I would take on the challenge when I could raise money for a charity close to my heart. 

My grandmother is an amazing person and I have always been close to her and that is why MND is a charity that is now incredibly special to me and running 26.2 miles seems nothing when I see what she is going through every day. 

MND is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurones. Degeneration of the motor neurones leads to weakness and wasting of muscles, causing increasing loss of mobility in the limbs, and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing.

It can affect any adult at any age, but most people diagnosed are over the age of 40. The number of people who will develop MND each year is approximately 2 in every 100,000, with about 7 in every 100,000 living with it at any one time. Over 5,000 people in the UK are facing life with MND and in comparison to many other diseases this is a tiny proportion of the population which may suggest why there has been such little research done. Therefore at present it isn’t possible to prevent MND from developing.

 

The terrifying thing about MND is that in most cases it appears for no apparent reason in people with no family history of the disease, suggesting the exact cause of MND remains a mystery.

 

In recent years there is evidence to suggest the incidence of MND is increasing due to the fact that people are living longer. This reflects the main reason I am running the London Marathon in order to promote the awareness of MND and raise money for research into helping find a cure.  For that reason I would be so incredibly grateful for any donations that you felt you were able to contribute to this hugely understated charity. 

 

A massive thank you for your time and any donation that you can give will be hugely worthwhile.

 

Best wishes

 

Rosanna

xxx