** UPDATE - Sadly Jamie lost his fight on Thursday 28th October 2021  six years after his diagnosis. He battled bravely for as long as he could and defied the odds **

A couple who work with us here at John Goodwin have a close family member suffering with Motor Neurone Disease.  Life expectancy is, on average, 3 - 5 years, but their son in law has managed to battle brilliantly and is now 6 years into his diagnosis, although sadly he is now unable to move at all and needs a breathing machine and various other machines to assist with his swallowing issues.  The NHS healthcare team, St Michaels Hospice and the MND Association have all been fantastic and with great support the family have, so far, been able to keep him at home.  

We have witnessed through our colleagues’ experience what a devastating, awful disease this is, and so, following on from our Malvern Hills Challenge this year, we have managed to gather up a team of super fit, enthusiastic volunteers to take on the challenge of
walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks on 9 April 2022. The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is a 25 mile walk incorporating three of the major peaks in the area with summits up 723m high. The walk must be completed within 12 hours.

Any donation, no matter how small, would be greatly appreciated to help the MND Association in order to provide vital funds for patient support and, more importantly, research so that one day a cure can be found to end this cruel, destructive disease.

This campaign will lay the foundations for human trials of a pioneering therapy for Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The fatal disease affects the brain and nerves and causes weakness over time. There is currently no cure for the condition.The work led by Bristol-based neurosurgeon Professor Steven Gill brings combines three elements: Gene Therapy with Viral Vectors delivered via Convection Enhanced Delivery CED.It is known that specific viruses can have a therapeutic effect on motor neurons and a technique called Convection Enhance Delivery (CED). This is able to deliver these viruses directly to the neurons in the brain. For many diseases such as MND. Delivery of genes to affected neurons to correct or repair defects has been a major challenge.The cost of the pre-clinical stage is £150,000. Thanks to My Name5 Doddie Foundation we are a third of the way there! Please help support our campaign by donating and together we can hopefully make a major breakthrough that will help.