It is estimated that there are more than 130,000 people in the UK diagnosed with MS, that's around 1 in every 500. These numbers include my wife, Kendra, and a few of our very close friends. The cause is unknown and there is no cure currently.

MS is a disease of the central nervous system (your brain and your spinal cord). The central nervous system cells are covered in a protective layer of fatty protein called the myelin sheath (a bit like the insulation on an electrical cable). MS is an auto-immune disease, where the immune system gets confused and instead of attacking an infection or virus, the immune system turns on itself and attacks the nerve cells, damaging this protective sheath. This process is called demyelination. The demyelination disrupts the ‘messages’ being transmitted from and to the brain, causing them to slow down, become distorted or not get through at all.

The disruption in transmission can cause many different issues and over the past 18 months Kendra and I have become very familiar with just a handful: vision problems, balance issues, severe fatigue, painful spasms and loss of physical sensation.

The MS Society is an incredibly valuable resource and one we have had to make frequent use of. They offer funding to MS research, a telephone helpline to assist people make sense of their diagnosis, give grants to people in need and campaign against welfare cuts. The information and support services they provide and the research they fund is integral in the fight against MS and the search for a cure.