‍♂️ Running for a Cause Close to Our Hearts

David’s Lisbon Marathon for MSA Awareness – 25th October 2025

Hi, I’m David – and on 25th October, I’ll be running the Lisbon Marathon for someone incredibly special to me, and for a cause that means more to our family than words can say.

A few years ago, Ann Michelle – Lauren, my partner’s mum – was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) – a rare, cruel, and relentlessly progressive neurological condition. It affects the brain and nervous system, slowly taking away control over even the most basic functions we often take for granted — like movement, digestion, and blood pressure regulation.

MSA is life-limiting. There’s no cure. It’s underfunded, under-researched, and barely spoken about — and yet for those living with it, and the families who walk beside them, it changes everything.

Watching someone you love face this illness is heartbreaking. But throughout it all, Ann Michelle has shown unimaginable strength and dignity. She continues to face each day with courage, love, and quiet resilience — and she inspires us more than she’ll ever know.

So this October, I’ll be running 42.2 kilometres through the streets of Lisbon, not just as a physical challenge — but as a tribute. For her. For Lauren. For Christian. And for every single person living with MSA, often in silence.

My hope is to raise awareness and as much funding as possible for research, support, and advocacy. Because people facing this disease deserve more — more help, more hope, more time.

If you’re able to donate, share this page, or simply send a few words of encouragement — thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

With all my gratitude,

David