Corby woman aiming to raise £30,000 to provide life-changing treatment for uncle with MS

Sinead Mullen’s uncle Richard, known as Dick, 46, was diagnosed with the condition in the early 2000s and it has eaten away at him for the past decade.

He was born and raised in Corby, before moving to Milton Keynes at about the same time as he started suffering from the condition.

And now his niece is trying to raise £30,000 for treatment which could potentially reverse the condition.

She said: “It’s been really hard for him as he’s a very proud person.

“His form of MS isn’t as aggressive as some others is but he needs a walking aid and is now blind in one eye.

“If we can raise the money the treatment would be vital as in some trials abroad it’s completely eradicated the condition.

“I’ve seen one case where somebody went from being wheelchair-bound to walking and riding bikes.

“It’s absolutely amazing and I hope we can raise enough for him to have it.”

A fundraising page has already been set up which has raised more than £3,500 in a matter of days.

Sinead says her uncle has been overwhelmed by the support show so far.

She added: “We need to get this treatment as soon as possible really.

“My uncle means the world to me and my family, you’d do it for anyone in your family wouldn’t you?

“At first he was a bit pround and embarrassed but now he’s coming round to the idea.

“He’s completely overwhelmed by the support.”

Sinead is also in the process of organising a dance with his old school friends and is hoping to do a sponsored climb of Ben Nevis to raise extra cash.

Dick put his experience of living with the condition into his own words and says the idea of the treatment is “all that’s occupied his thoughts”.

He said: “I was in my early 30s when I was diagnosed and I lost my sight, which recovered quite quickly but left the left part of my face numb and eyesight without any peripheral vision which has continued to this day.

“I am still mobile and with the use of walking aids I can function relatively well, and I can move about and get things done for a few hours every other morning.

“From about 10am, my energy begins to wane, I become sluggish and my responses become confused and awkward and even forgetful.

“I deteriorate rapidly as the day progresses, requiring the remaining hours of the day, and all of the next, as a rest period.

“A Panorama episode on MS reawakened my hope, there really is a possibility of repair and certainly in stopping further progression of the condition.

“In basic terms chemotherapy and stem cell transplants restarts the old you, reigniting our state before MS came knocking at our doors.

“I love the idea of contributing once more, of helping and feeling part of something again, and since the programme aired, it is all that’s occupied my thoughts.”

To donate to Dick’s cause, visit the fundraising page by clicking here.