Help Bilal and family fight MND

Hello, I'm Bilal! I’d like to take a moment to share my story with you…

My wife and I came to the UK in 2019 primarily to fulfil my father in law’s wish for his daughter to achieve higher education and my curiosity to learn and develop myself further. We had a bright future ahead of us.

However, fast forward a couple of years, life had other plans. After struggling with a lot of symptoms, I was diagnosed with ALS, an aggressive form of Motor Neurone Disease in September 2022.

Motor Neurone Disease is a degenerative terminal illness that causes paralysis in all motor muscles including the limbs and tongue. For me, it started with my right leg but has now significantly affected both my legs, core muscles and my arms. This has unfortunately made my daily life difficult due to fatigue, weakness, and pain.

MND has no cure and significantly affects quality of life not only for the person who suffers from it but those around them as well. It has often been called the disease of bankruptcy. And I have now reached the point where I am no longer able to work, a decision which has been hard to take.

With limited income and no access to carers, we have decided to move back to Pakistan, to be surrounded by the love and support of family and friends. This I hope will offer some respite for my wife too.

However, we will have to buy all the equipment I need to sustain my quality of life, such as transfer hoists, positioning chairs, profiling beds, shower chairs, ramps etc and will have ongoing costs of physiotherapy and carer access. These are a huge financial investment but will make a real difference to me.

We know times are hard for everyone right now, but anything that you are able to donate towards these, no matter how big or small, would be greatly appreciated please – thank you!