In recent years I have become more involved with Muscular Dystrophy UK. (MDUK). I also volunteer annually at the MDUK Cambridge ' Town and Gown 10k run Event'. My son Barry introduced to me to this volunteering roll many years ago, and since then he has also been competing in the 10k run event itself. And on the last time out my son-in-law Neil also took part in the 10k run. 

My wife Barbara and two daughter's Carrie and Jeni all suffer with Muscular Dystrophy (MD) which is an inherited condition.  With my wife, the condition had gone unnoticed and undiagnosed for many years. Although she knew something was not right with her body and her movements, she couldn't explain about it. At school, the gym and PE teachers would tell her that she wasn't trying hard enough or that she was lazy and couldn't be bothered.

Eventually she was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy in her mid 30's when things were much worse and more obviously wrong. The type of MD that she has is called Fasio-Scapulo-Humeral MD, or FSHD for short, as these are the main muscles of her body that are affected by the condition, although other muscles of her body are also affected as well. My wife eventually started to get the treatment she so desperately needed after seeing a lead physiotherapist at the Queen Elisabeth in Kings Lynn who also knew a little about her condition and told her that if it wasn't for her skin her shoulder blades would simply fall to the floor. She, the physiotherapist, knew of a brilliant surgeon in London and would write to him and ask if he would see my wife, and an appointment was set up at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London.

After many visits and two major operations later both of my wife's shoulder blades were fused to her rib cage using bone graphs taken  from her pelvis, and also using metalwork to support the fusion joint. Unfortunately, over the years her right side needed re-fixing into place twice more after having falls. After each operation she needed to be in a plaster cast (called a 'Shoulder Spica Cast'), for at least 3 months, and then followed by weeks of rehabilitation each time.  See photo's in gallery.

In 2010 I gave up my employment to become a fulltime carer for my wife who was about to go through her 4th shoulder operation, and at that time she also had other operations on the horizon. Also, my youngest daughter, Jeni, was having complications from her 1st shoulder operation which left her with nerve damage and needed to have her metalwork removed. I was also very involved with my grandson who had just started infant school. With all this going on I felt that I needed to be on hand in a more meaningful way, so giving up fulltime work was the right thing for me to do.

Being a carer, also gave me the opportunity to pursue more actively my favourite pastime, which is Yoga, and I went on to achieve my Yoga Teaching Qualification. I love doing yoga, and I have often said "You always meet the nicest of people in a yoga class" which is why I love it so much, and it also gives me some vital respite time.

Please help MDUK by helping me to raise these vital funds as I know from personal experiences the wonderful work they are doing by helping people and their families who all live with the condition. I can still remember the emotional help and support they gave to my family back in the mid 1990's when my wife was first diagnosed and then helping us in dealing with the bureaucracy and medical profession in getting her recognised as having the condition and the problems it was causing, so we could then go onto getting her the medical help she so badly needed. MDUK also supports scientific research who have been making great advances in recent years, and a cure for Muscular Dystrophy is inching ever closer.

Thank you for reading my story, Peter