Thanks for taking the time to visit my fundraising page.

On May 25th 2025 I will be running the Edinburgh Marathon to raise money for MS Society, who has provided invaluable support and advice for both my mum and our family.

My mum, Fiona, has lived with Multiple Sclerosis for most of my life, being diagnosed in 1990 when she was just 23. Since then MS has adversely impacted many aspects of her life, including mobility & speech and cruelly prevented her from independently living and doing things we all take for granted. She continues to amaze us all with her unwavering resilience and positivity, despite the pain and difficulties she faces each day. Before MS, my mum was a fun, energetic character who had a love for holidays and her biggest passion was dancing, so much so she became a teacher. Unfortunately MS has taken her ability to continue her passion on the dancefloor, but remains fun and high spirited at heart.

Over 150,000 people in the UK are currently living with MS, meaning 1 in 500 of us face challenges similar to my mums to a varying degree. Everyone is different and MS is an unpredictable neurological condition, affecting the central nervous system. Symptoms include but are not limited to; vision problems, muscle weakness, numbness and pain, cognitive changes, breathing problems, speech issues, tremors and seizures, swallowing difficulties and unsurprisingly, emotional changes.

MS does not discriminate and it is possible for anyone to be diagnosed regardless of age, gender or ethnicity, but it most commonly occurs in people aged 20-40 and woman are 2-3x more likely to have MS than men. Each week over 130 people in the UK are diagnosed with MS and the work MS Society do is vital in supporting them in these initial confusing, scary and emotional stages and onwards.

MS Society are a community of people living with MS, scientists, campaigners and volunteers who play a leading role in MS research and fight for better treatment and care throughout the UK.

Their work and services include:

Support services - local groups, support events, benefits advice, legal advice and befriending scheme.

Research & campaigns - funding research, raise awareness and campaign to improve the lives of people with MS.

MS Society has helped my mum personally by providing specialized physiotherapy and equipment, bespoke to her needs. Knowing that they are there to support her needs at any time is reassuring for her, and both my mum and our whole family feel passionate about ensuring this service continues for others but also hopeful that one day their research and funding will lead to a cure for MS.

You can view how the fundraising money that is raised is spent by MS Society here.

I hugely appreciate your support and any donations you can afford will encourage me during my training and on the day of the marathon itself.

Many thanks

Tam