I am running the London Marathon for the MND Association—now in memory of my stepmother, Julie.

Anyone who ever met Julie would know what a special woman she was.

She brought happiness and kindness to anyone who was lucky enough to meet her.

The words below are my dad’s, written in a way I never could.

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It’s been well over two years since Julie was diagnosed with MND. At first, we carried on as normal—traveling around, attending gigs, visiting friends, going on dinner dates, etc.—but slowly, the disease exercised a control over our lives that was impossible to ignore. Julie’s ability to use her legs, hands, and arms became noticeably compromised. Her ability to eat and drink without choking diminished and then stopped. She can no longer write, put on her glasses, or scratch an itch on her nose! Her speech became distorted. Now, we have to manage our lives in a completely different way.

Julie must use a stairlift, a ventilator, and a wheelchair. Her food and drink can no longer be taken through her mouth—to keep her alive, she is confined to a special fluid nourishment (no Prosecco!!) which passes down a PEG tube inserted in her stomach. She needs 24-hour care. She cannot communicate through normal speech; instead, she uses a variety of gadgets that do the job with varying degrees of success.

In herself, Julie displays a courage and resilience that we all find daunting. She never complains—I do, but Julie doesn’t!

We are lucky to have excellent support from a variety of sources, including our fantastic extended family, the NHS MND teams, our wonderful, ever-cheerful carer team, our local hospice, private physio and massage providers, and, of course, the MND Association. In addition to providing emotional support, the Association has assisted us with financial help to install the stairlift and pay for a course of acupuncture for me to help keep my stress levels manageable.

Joe did incredibly well when he ran the 2023 London Marathon in support of the MNDA, and we are honoured and proud that he has chosen to run again in 2025 to support the Association. Any sum, however modest, that you can contribute to help understand, fight, and ultimately cure this terrible disease is appreciated by all of us.

Thank you.

And Joe—run like the wind!!!

**Roger, January 2025**

**Postscript:** Since writing the above, I am very sad to say that my beautiful Julie died quietly in her sleep at home in the early morning of January 12, 2025. I was by her side. Life must go on but will never be the same.