My sister, Tara Murphy and I are walking a full marathon (42.195km) on Sunday 27 January to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

My mum was diagnosed with MND in October 2020 and the MND Association have been there for her and our family at every step of the way, supporting us as much as they can. Mum has a particularly rare variation - the more we support the Association, the more they can support her.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting.

MND can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. However, not all symptoms necessarily happen to everyone and it is unlikely they will all develop at the same time, or in any specific order.

Although there is currently no cure for MND, symptoms can be managed to help you achieve the best possible quality of life.

We need your support.

£160 could fund a specialist communication app for a tablet/smartphone/laptop to enable a person with MND to continue to communicate with loved ones

£280 could fund the co-ordination of care for a person with MND at a care centre for a year

£1000 could pay for detailed analysis of the DNA of someone with MND to help us better understand the causes of the disease