Story
Chris Johnson is a very inspirational man , he had an amazing career in West Midlands Police which sadly was cut short by a diagnosis of motor neurone disease an incurable terminal illness.
WHAT IS MND
MND is a condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system. This leads to muscle weakness, often with visible wasting.
Motor neurone disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), occurs when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord called motor neurones stop working properly. This is known as neurodegeneration.
Motor neurones control important muscle activity, such as:
- gripping
- walking
- speaking
- swallowing
- breathing
As the condition progresses, people with motor neurone disease will find some or all of these activities increasingly difficult. Eventually, they will become impossible.
Chris was diagnosed 16th November 2018 and continued to work until September 2020 when sadly he had to make the decision to retire
Chris hasn’t let mnd define him and has raised awareness and money for charity.
He has been part of #unitedtoendmnd and went Downing Street to deliver a request for funding into a cure for the disease which was successful
Chris now has to have assistance with his breathing 24/7 he is confined to a wheelchair and the only part of his body he can move are his hands e needs assistance with everything he is in pain very uncomfortable but keeps fighting and keeps smiling
The Johnson’s were devastated chris has two children katie (16) and harry (11)
The family were referred to primrose hospice a fantastic facility on their doorstep people have a misconception about a hospice that it is a place to go to die …it’s not it’s a place to help you live as well as you can that provides so much the children are supported by the family team Sharon is supported as well you can have complimentary therapy attend days with other people in the same situation as you and so much more.
So Sharon (chris wife) who was never a runner ran her first half marathon in 2021 at the age of 50.
This year Sharon along with 3 of her closest friends kristal Lucy and Sally have decided to really push themselves and are running London marathon to raise much needed funds for the primrose hospice who rely heavily on donations to be able to keep their services free for those that need it
Based in the heart of our community, Primrose Hospice provides care to patients and their families who are living with a life limiting illness.Our Day Hospice offers a range of services including access to CNS support, physiotherapy, occupational health and wellbeing. Our Family Support team provide care for patients living with a life-limiting or terminal diagnosis and their relatives, friends or carers. We also offer support to anyone who is bereaved unexpectedly.Thank you for enabling us to care for those who need us.
Update 29/07/2022
Due to injury lucy can no longer run however the lovely Shereen has taken her place and will be running with us we are still a team of 4 x