In May 2021 my wife, mother of our two young children, and community optometrist, Flo was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) at the age of 34.

The diagnosis took us completely by surprise, and has utterly devastated our family.

MND (also known as ALS) has no cure and is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. The risk of developing MND is 1 in 300, but because it kills a third of people within a year there are only 5000 adults affected in the UK at any one time.

Flo and I can't control the effect and progression of the disease, so we want to focus our attention on increasing awareness whilst fundraising as much as possible to help others living with MND, and also help fund vital research into treatments for this awful condition.

The support received from our family and friends has been phenomenal - thank you each and everyone. We couldn't cope without you.

We now ask that you all help share this page to raise awareness, and fundraise as much as possible and join #TeamMND to #FightForFlo.

You can request fundraising packs or collection tins by contacting Jenn Dodd from the MNDA (jenn.dodd@mndassociation.org)

Over the course of 2021-2025 I will be undertaking various fundraising events & challenges. £30k would fund laboratory equipment for over a year for research into the causes of MND, or provide 60 people with MND a tablet device with communication software, allowing them to communicate with loved ones.

So far I have undertaken the David Goggins 4x4x48 challenge, then ran 9 half marathons in 6 weeks, followed by my first ever marathon in London 2022, my 9th consecutive Great North Run, and ran 5k every day in 2022 - 1084 miles (equivalent to Lands End to John O'Groats).

I have subsequently ran 2 Ultramarathons and open water swim in the Lake District and my 10th consecutive Great North Run will be in September 2024, with the London Marathon lined up in April 2025.

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