My Story

Friday 4th March was my 1-year anniversary of being admitted into hospital with Transverse Myelitis, a rare neuroimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the spinal cord. This caused issues with my strength and sensation in my lower body, causing me to be unable to walk and bedbound for a number of days.

Thanks to the staff at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, I was given the correct treatment to rapidly recover from the condition whilst also finding a cause for what triggered the Transverse Myelitis, MOG Antibody Disease (MOGAD).

This condition can present itself in many ways and often can result in the patient being misdiagnosed, one common example being MS. Many treatments for some of these misdiagnosed conditions such as MS can actually cause more damage instead of helping the patient to recover.

Thankfully the neurologists at Leeds Teaching Hospitals were aware of this and accurately predicted the cause being MOGAD, even before the confirmation blood test came back. After reading many horror stories involving this condition and incorrect treatment, it really made me appreciate the quality of care that we have access to and often take for granted.

This fundraiser aims at giving something back to the hospital trust that treated me so they can continue to provide top quality care to all who need it. Despite being under pressure recently due to the pandemic, the NHS continues to do a great job with treatments, care and providing vaccinations. I’m sure many of you can relate to the quality of care provided, either personally or to loved ones in recent times.

I aim to run 10x 5K’s locally, starting from beginning of March through to the end of April. Running was my main form of exercise whilst recovering from MOGAD and I believe it played a big part of my recovery which is why I have chosen this challenge to raise funds for Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Any donations and/or sharing this campaign would be greatly appreciated!

Raising £100 for Leeds Hospitals Charity could pay for a wig for someone experiencing hair loss during cancer treatment, along with specialist support from the on-site hair loss service.

Raising £200 for Leeds Hospitals Charity could pay for arts and craft supplies for the play specialist team to use on a ward, helping to make hospital less scary for some of our youngest patients.