Stories

On Sunday 8 September, Jonathan Pinnick is taking part in the Great North Run. While he is no stranger to running, having completed five half marathons previously, this will be Jonathan’s first Great North Run. It will also be a special half marathon as he is running in memory of his friend Nick Wallis, who lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and sadly died in July 2014, aged 29. Jonathan explains why he’s running for us to mark the tenth anniversary of Nick’s passing.

Beth shares her journey as a mother living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). She looks back on the challenges of pregnancy, shares tips about the things that helped her look after her baby, and the bond she has with her now ten-year-old amazing daughter.

Stephen McGuire is a BC four Boccia athlete for Great Britain. He shares his experience of finding Boccia, taking part in three Paralympic games, and what he’s most looking forward to in Paris. He reflects on how sport has helped his condition and shares what you can do to get involved in the action.

On Sunday 11 August, Carly Swankie took part in the Dundee Kiltwalk in support of her nine-year-old daughter Holly, who was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) last year. Carly tells us what made her sign up to the Kiltwalk for a sixth time and how she got the rest of the family involved.

Konstantina is a law graduate and pupil barrister who lives with Ullrich muscular dystrophy. She shares her journey into this career, the discrimination she’s faced in her journey to becoming a qualified barrister, and what she’s doing to pave the way for future disabled barristers.

Joe lives with Becker muscular dystrophy and is a passionate writer, blogger, and poet. He shares his experiences to help make travel more accessible for everyone.

Throughout July, Robin Gibbs walked more than usual due to the challenge he set himself to do 500,000 steps during the month and raise £500 for charity. He was joined by 11 colleagues at his workplace, Vizion, and the team clocked up over five million steps and raised over £1,300 in support of colleague and friend, Sarah, who lives with muscular dystrophy. Robin explains why he designed the challenge.

With the summer holidays finally here, many of us will be travelling abroad to bask in warmer weather or to do some sightseeing. However, while for some travelling overseas might be easy, for others like me levels of accessibility can differ from place to place.

Matt Warner has always been a keen online gamer, but he took his passion for racing simulation games to a new level when he got together with three others to fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy UK during a 24-hour team sim racing event. Matt tells us why him and his team ‘Wabbit Wacing’ chose to get involved in memory of his dad, Jeff.

Ten years ago, Sophie Hutchison was diagnosed with limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2i (LGMD2i). A decade later, she is getting ready to take on Zipslide the Clyde with eight friends and family members. Sophie explains why she wants to raise awareness of muscle wasting conditions while fundraising to help find a cure.

Jan shares her heartbreaking journey of her granddaughter’s diagnosis with myotonic dystrophy, and how her family found the help they needed in Muscular Dystrophy UK and the South East Wales multidisciplinary team.

Ela talks about how she found herself in an abusive marriage and the challenges she faced trying to leave as someone who has SMA type three with a young son.