Donate to give our dad a fighting chance to live

Dear Friends,

Please help us to bring hope to people like our Dad (Shalinder Chopra) who was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in October 2024.

For a few years now, our Dad has been really unwell, he was slowly losing the ability to do the simplest tasks, losing function in his fingers and legs. He was (and still is) the strongest man we know and we were feeling very worried about what was happening to him. For 1.5 years we waited and waited for various test results to come back and he was baffling the doctors. Finally, after a gruelling one month stay at the hospital, we received the devastating news that our Dad has Motor Neuron Disease (MND). A rare, aggressive and progressive disease which is slowly robbing him of his life and ability to do anything independently.

Dad has a type of MND called ALS- life expectancy is anywhere between 1 -5 years.

MND affects the nerves in our body, known as motor neurones. These nerves are found in the brain and spinal cord and they help tell your muscles what to do. The disease slowly kills off these nerves one by one, which means people lose the ability to do anything and eventually die from respiratory failure as the nerves and muscles waste away.

As a family we have been in total shock and disbelief. We are already experiencing all the elements that come with deep grief and bereavement. We've seen our Dad, from a strong man who would lift the heaviest weights at the gym, deteriorate into a frail man, who is now unable to do most things we all take for granted, such as buttoning up his shirt, or even opening the fridge. It has been heart-breaking watching the man we love the most, suffer in this way.

MND is a life-limiting illness, with no effective treatment options currently available. He feels helpless.. as do we. We can't believe life can be so cruel. This was the time for our dad to retire and enjoy his life with our mum and his 8 grandchildren, but instead we wake up every morning thinking 'Is dad going to die today?'... as we watch him deteriorate more and more each day.

BUT, we have a small glimmer of hope! Nevrargenics Ltd has spent over 20 years developing cutting-edge drugs aimed at combating devastating neurodegenerative diseases like MND. Their lead drug, Ellorarxine, has just been approved by the UK MHRA to begin its first clinical trial in MND patients. This is a monumental step forward, offering a glimmer of hope for people like my Dad and we believe Ellorarxine will not only stop progression of the disease but also reverse some of the damaging effects of the illness.

Nevrargenics are trying to raise the last £350,000 to accelerate the clinical trial process and begin manufacturing . Every single penny raised will go directly towards this critical work, offering a lifeline to individuals like our father.

We, his daughters, nieces and nephew, are committed to raising these funds, but we cannot do it alone. We humbly ask for your support in this mission. To demonstrate our dedication, we pledge to immerse ourselves in an ice bath once our target is reached—a small personal challenge compared to the daily battles faced by those with MND.

Please help us by making a donation , no matter how small - we deeply appreciate any kind of donation.

Thank you all for your generosity and support.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Sonia, Seema & Nisha (Shalinder's daughters)