Myself and 2 very good friends in Northampton, have been speaking about trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for the past 5 or 6 years and we finally decided that we would all do it together when the youngest one turned 50. Well that happened last July, so we booked and paid for it. One of the wonders of the world, is something special, so to be able to go and see it with 2 friends is extremely special for me. Claudio, Johnny and myself leave these shores with a larger group of Global Adventure Trekkers on 10th May and after the flights and a day to acclimatise, we begin 4 hard days trekking through Peru on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. We can't wait to get there.

Why am I raising funds for charity ?

We all agreed, that we should pay for the trip ourselves, as it is a bucket list activity for us, but also, it gives us the chance to maximise our fundraising. So any sponsorship money you give, goes directly to the charity. I've done charity events before, but always for one of the bigger charities (Macmillan, Stroke, Cancer research etc). I wanted to do something that I could see the difference it makes, something more personal. Whilst it wasn't the nicest way to find such a charity, but whilst getting in contact with 2 of my childhood friends (Ade and Jay) from Luton to arrange a meet-up, I heard of a situation one of them was dealing with for their young daughter, Freya. I was sitting reading this email from a friend of over 50 years, that was just an horrendous tale of sorrow. I was blubbing like a baby, which I've done again today whilst creating this page. It was right at that moment i knew I'd found the charity for me to be able to hopefully make a difference to someone I care about.

Freya's Story

In January 2023, Jay's daughter suffered her first seizure which then multiplied to on average 10 - 15 separate seizures a day. Some of these seizures can last for over 24hrs. Whilst in seizure, Freya's behaviour changes drastically and she believes she is only 8 years old (She's 17), which puts a strain on the household. Her parents tried to find doctors and specialists that could not only help diagnose the condition, but help with the recovery. Unfortunately this was extremely difficult and the life of young Freya, was massively changed. She couldn't go to college, see her friends or do things any other teenage girl takes for granted. Her parents did the research and eventually got some initial help and Freya was diagnosed with a neurological condition called Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). Due to this condition, Freya is having to be supported by specialists. After Doctor surgeries and hospitals were unable to help, through their own research, they found a center in nearby Bedford called The Bedford Therapy Centre. The centre is primarily designed to support MS patients, but they welcomed Freya in, despite her not having MS as they believed that they can support Freya with her neurological illness also. The charity provides her and many other patients with weekly physiotherapy, Hydrotherapy and Oxygen Chamber Therapy. There are some positive signs, but it is a long road. Without this wonderful charity, Freya’s condition would be worse and they would probably still be seeking help and support outside of anything they could find under Private Care.

The Bedford Therapy Centre Charity

https://www.mscentrebedsandnorthants.com/

RCN: 802510

We are a Therapy Centre providing unparalleled support to the MS community with ambitions to do so much more..

Building on 40 years supporting people living with MS to live more active and satisfying lives, we have a new vision to both increase and enhance the support we offer to the MS community while extending our scope to support people living with other conditions.

The range of high-quality therapies that we provide to the MS community are similarly beneficial for people living with other conditions such as Parkinson’s and stroke recovery, where talking to other local and national charities has identified a real need due to lack of provision elsewhere.

To realise this vision, we wish to extend and improve our Bedford Therapy Centre so that we have the capacity to increase the range of therapies that we offer, and deliver them to more people.

We have been able to provide so many therapies over the past 40 years thanks to the amazing support we receive from our members, the local community, local businesses and charitable trusts. Now, more than ever, we need your support to realise this ambitious vision. We believe we have an incredible future to aim for as a charity, working with other local and National charities to support people living with a range of conditions, and maximising the benefit we bring to the local community.

That's it. Machu Picchu next stop.

I hope this story has touched you in the same way it touched me. You can really help improve Freya's life and hopefully recover to that of a normal teenage girl.

If you would like to help us to continue to support people living with MS and FND and to realise our vision of supporting so many more people in the community, please make whatever donation you can.

Thank You

Jon

If this inspires you to be adventurous, checkout the Global Adventure Challenges company we're using:- https://www.globaladventurechallenges.com/responsible-tourism