Hello all,
January has flown past for Sportin MS, we’ve achieved so much this month. Firstly, I met up with an MS group in Epsom who have a monthly gathering centred around a pub quiz; hopefully further expanding our reach and bringing more people together. As always, we look to contribute to our goal of establishing a community and then a facility for mental and emotional support. It's the growth of this community, the exchange of experiences and strategies to cope with this disease, that motivates a daily positive lifestyle for us.
That leads me on to a fantastic, “foot in the door” moment… I was invited to present our charity to the nursing and out-patients’ receptionists who, along with other things, deal with neurological appointments at East Surrey hospital. The MS nurse also joined them and the positive feedback will hopefully lead to a space at the hospital where Sportin MS can finally help fund and be involved in providing support for diagnosed patients. A brilliant stepping stone for us.
The promotion of our annual event is well on its way – “The “Wild Wild West”. With limited space, the tables are going quickly and thanks to the success of previous events, the expectation is always that of a fabulous fun evening with good food and entertainment. If you are not on Facebook and are keen to come along, check the ‘What’s New’ section of the website and find the poster with all the details - time is running out!!
We had a final gathering at Walton Heath Golf Club on the 6th January, as Richard Prophet’s year of club captaincy has come to an end. WHGC raised an incredible £12,000 for Sportin MS and with their free professional advice, pointed the charity in a direction of growth and productivity – this was priceless and led to the launch of our Podcasts. We cannot thank all the members enough for their unquestionable, welcoming spirit and enthusiasm for wishing Sportin MS great success.
Once again that leads me onto some more news – our 4th podcast will be launched on Friday, with a very moving perspective on living in a home with MS sufferers.
With regards to my own MS, I had my 4th Covid jab recently. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but due to the medication I’m on, I receive a full jab every time rather than a booster. My reaction to it was severe – the worst. It left me crippled with pain in my legs, almost as if my body had to cope with that rather than fight with the MS and it left me vulnerable. My greatest fear was that some of the disability that it caused was not going to wear off, but after a couple of days I was walking normally and returned to normal activities. Would I have another jab? Not sure yet, it was scary.
So, 2023 has started off with a bang for Sportin MS and I really hope that we can start investing in some positive help for recently diagnosed patients, only possible thanks to all of you – so from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Lots of love
Antoinette