I am 70 years old this year. When I was diagnosed with MS 25 years ago, I felt that reaching the age of 70 fit and well would not be remotely possible. But here I am! I feel an enormous sense of gratitude. To the scientists who provided the research for me to follow to get here, to our community of people overcoming MS whose collective spirit has buoyed and supported me through thick and thin, and most particularly to the Overcoming MS charity, established by Linda Bloom in 2012 to get the Overcoming MS Program's message of hope out to everyone diagnosed with MS.

I am acutely aware that not everyone diagnosed with MS has a similar story. But I hope that by helping me celebrate my 70th by supporting the charity, you can ensure that our message gets to all those who need to hear it... We trust that this will give them a realistic chance of discovering, like I am, that overcoming MS is possible!