The Spirit of Sylvia

My amazing wife, Sylvia, died of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2020.

Her indomitable spirit and determination to make the most of life whilst living with this cruel and brutal condition was an inspiration to everyone who knew her.

The MND Association provided Sylvia with invaluable support. The charity works tirelessly to help everyone affected by this devastating condition and to promote and fund vital research into finding a cure.

In Sylvia's memory and to raise much needed funds for the MND Association I am attempting, at the age of 72, to cycle, without a support team, from John O'Groats to Lands End, a distance of over 1,000 miles, during June 2023.

Making a difference

As I have never been more than a very casual cyclist the thought of this long journey is rather daunting!

What will fuel my determination to keep going will be my loving memories of Sylvia and the knowledge that every penny of your kind and generous donations will be spent carefully so that people affected by MND get the support they need, both now and in the future.

Just a few of many examples of the difference our donations could make:

£10 provides an information pack for a newly diagnosed person with MND, so they know what to expect and how to access support

£27 funds an MND Connect helpline advisor for one hour, allowing them to provide information and support for anyone affected by MND

£75 funds an MND expert researcher for half a day, helping to better understand the disease

£160 will buy a specialist communications app enabling someone who has lost the ability to speak to continue to communicate with others

£600 funds a seat riser, allowing someone with MND to raise their wheelchair so that they can reach shelves and talk to someone at eye level

£750 helps to fund a wheelchair ramp, allowing someone with MND access to outside space and the local community

£1,000 will pay for detailed analysis of the DNA of someone with MND, to support research

£2,250 provides a text to speech device, to give someone with MND the ability to continue to communicate with their loved ones

£4,000 funds a person with MND to participate in a clinical trial for a year, bringing us closer to a cure.

I intend half of the money raised to be used to support those currently affected by MND and half to go towards the impressive research efforts that appear to me to be making real progress.

The need is urgent. MND kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.

The MND Association

Thank you for visiting this page and for your interest in this important charity. https://www.mndassociation.org

The MND Association focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. By sponsoring me your money will help people affected by Motor Neurone Disease. Once you donate, JustGiving will send your money directly to the MND Association. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and secure, your details are safe - they'll never sell them or send unwanted emails. Thank you again