Three sisters take part in the London to Brighton Cycle Ride 2026 in memory of their dad, Philip. The trio are raising money in his name during Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month. Hannah tells us about her dad and why she and her sisters Katherine and Lucy want to make him proud.
Sisters cycle London to Brighton in memory of their dad
Our beautiful Dad
Dad was always at the epicentre of our family. With four daughters and a devoted wife, he was the calm — or at least the closest thing to it — in a busy household of five women. We relied on him for perspective, reassurance and laughter.
At 6ft 4in, Dad was hard to miss. You would often hear him before you saw him — laughing, telling a story or delivering one of his famously terrible jokes. He had always been fit and active, playing semi-professional rugby in his youth and continuing to play tennis every weekend well into adult life. He loved being outdoors, exploring new places and, above all, spending time with the people he loved.
Dad’s diagnosis
In 2014, at the age of 60, Dad was diagnosed with the rare, progressive muscle condition Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM). None of us had ever heard of it.
At the time of his diagnosis, my parents explained to us that his muscles would gradually weaken and that, one day, perhaps by the time he reached 80, he’d probably need to use a wheelchair.
Sadly, that was not how Dad’s condition unfolded. His decline was rapid and unkind and within just two years of his diagnosis, he was reliant on a powered wheelchair full-time.
“When someone you love becomes ill, your instinct is to ask two questions: What caused it? And how do we fix it?”
We were to discover that, in his case, there were no simple answers to either.
Living with the condition
Over the decade that followed his original diagnosis, Dad underwent numerous treatments and had more than a dozen in-patient stays across four specialist hospitals in London. Yet nothing seemed able to slow the relentless deterioration of his muscles.
Eventually, his original diagnosis of IBM was removed, because of the speed of his decline and the way the condition was affecting his body. However, there was no alternative diagnosis to replace it. Instead, we were told that he had a rapidly progressive degenerative muscle condition that, in some respects, was behaving more like Motor Neurone Disease.
The reality is these conditions are so rare that he could only receive a best fit diagnosis: his particular condition was not yet recognisable, treatable or curable.
Advocate for accessibility
Whilst this terrible condition took away Dad’s muscles, the one thing it couldn’t take was his sense of humour. Even towards the end, when he could barely raise his arms or swallow, if we asked how he felt, he would declare with his characteristic smile: “I’ve never felt better!”
Dad used his condition and experience to do so much good. He became an advocate for accessibility, advising organisations ranging from Lord’s Cricket Ground to the London Underground on the realities of navigating the world with a disability.
He also started a blog to share his experiences — the frustrations, the practicalities and, inevitably, the humour. Even during countless hospital stays and appointments, he somehow found himself counselling, encouraging and inspiring the medical professionals who were looking after him.
Losing the battle
Sadly, in October 2022, Dad lost his near decade-long battle living with this devastating muscle wasting condition.
But his condition is not what defines his story.
Dad was a fantastic writer and used his illness and experience to raise awareness through his poems, articles and stories.
“He lives on in his four daughters and his six beautiful grandchildren through the values he taught us. He lives on in the terrible jokes that will undoubtedly be inflicted on generations to come and in the music that continues to soundtrack our lives.”
We miss his advice, kindness and the encouragement he gave to us and so many people along the way.
Making Dad proud
We spent our lives wanting to make Dad proud. We still do. And his four daughters will continue trying to do exactly that — carrying with us his humour, his strength, his curiosity, his love of life and his determination to make a difference to help others.
Taking on the Brighton to London Cycle Ride to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK in his memory was so important. This one is for you, Dad!
Support the sisters' fundraising
By supporting Katherine, Hannah and Lucy, you’ll help fund research and provide support for people living with a muscle wasting condition.
Inspired by this story?
There are many ways you can fundraise for people living with a muscle wasting condition. No idea is too big or too small.
