Help Fight Laura's MS
Donation protected
Our school is helping to raise funds to support our much loved Sports Teacher and his wife, Simon and Laura Albon, to travel to America for pioneering stem cell therapy to treat Laura's aggressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Laura, who worked as a nurse within the NHS, was diagnosed with MS in February 2009. MS is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the myelin sheath protecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This damage causes messages to and from the brain to be slowed, distorted or stopped altogether.
Her symptoms range from severe fatigue, an inability to balance and walk, numbness, depression, swallowing and speech problems and bladder issues. She used to be able to play sports and exercise, walk to work and complete a busy shift on the ward looking after her patients. Now she is lucky if she can walk 100 metres with a walking stick.
"I am in awe of my wife and her ability to battle her disease every day. We have a gorgeous 15 month old son and she is a superb mother. It breaks my heart to see what she has to endure to complete simple everyday tasks. Even simple trips to the shops are too difficult and most of the time Laura avoids trips out of the house, unless I can be with her to support her."
Treatment options on the NHS concentrate on using aggressive drugs which only mildly alleviate some of the symptoms, but the disease gets progressively worse. Stem cell therapy has shown remarkable results all over the world in halting the disease but we are several years away from this being available on the NHS.
"Laura's condition has deteriorated so much in the last few years that we simply cannot wait and hence our plea for funds to take Laura to America this summer for stem cell therapy. The stem cells target and repair the myelin sheath around the nerves and also cross the blood/brain barrier to repair the lesions in the brain. It reboots the immune system; keeping it from attacking itself.
"We are pinning all our hopes on this treatment and would be immensely grateful for any support you can give us in raising the £20,800 we need for treatment to allow Laura to lead a full and happy life and to raise our son."
If we are lucky enough to raise more than the amount required, we will donate the money to the MS Treatment Centre in Bradley Stoke which Laura attends, who do such fantastic work in supporting MS sufferers.
Simon has worked at QEH School in Bristol since 2008 and is an incredibly popular teacher, among both pupils and staff. The school will also be supporting his fundraising through a charity football match and a fundraising challenge among pupils, all of whom are keen to support a teacher who gives up so much of his own time to help them.
Please support Simon, Laura and Finley by donating whatever you can afford.
Thank you.
Laura, who worked as a nurse within the NHS, was diagnosed with MS in February 2009. MS is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the myelin sheath protecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This damage causes messages to and from the brain to be slowed, distorted or stopped altogether.
Her symptoms range from severe fatigue, an inability to balance and walk, numbness, depression, swallowing and speech problems and bladder issues. She used to be able to play sports and exercise, walk to work and complete a busy shift on the ward looking after her patients. Now she is lucky if she can walk 100 metres with a walking stick.
"I am in awe of my wife and her ability to battle her disease every day. We have a gorgeous 15 month old son and she is a superb mother. It breaks my heart to see what she has to endure to complete simple everyday tasks. Even simple trips to the shops are too difficult and most of the time Laura avoids trips out of the house, unless I can be with her to support her."
Treatment options on the NHS concentrate on using aggressive drugs which only mildly alleviate some of the symptoms, but the disease gets progressively worse. Stem cell therapy has shown remarkable results all over the world in halting the disease but we are several years away from this being available on the NHS.
"Laura's condition has deteriorated so much in the last few years that we simply cannot wait and hence our plea for funds to take Laura to America this summer for stem cell therapy. The stem cells target and repair the myelin sheath around the nerves and also cross the blood/brain barrier to repair the lesions in the brain. It reboots the immune system; keeping it from attacking itself.
"We are pinning all our hopes on this treatment and would be immensely grateful for any support you can give us in raising the £20,800 we need for treatment to allow Laura to lead a full and happy life and to raise our son."
If we are lucky enough to raise more than the amount required, we will donate the money to the MS Treatment Centre in Bradley Stoke which Laura attends, who do such fantastic work in supporting MS sufferers.
Simon has worked at QEH School in Bristol since 2008 and is an incredibly popular teacher, among both pupils and staff. The school will also be supporting his fundraising through a charity football match and a fundraising challenge among pupils, all of whom are keen to support a teacher who gives up so much of his own time to help them.
Please support Simon, Laura and Finley by donating whatever you can afford.
Thank you.
Organizer
Emily Down
Organizer
