Worthing man who can barely move sets My MS Marathon target to cycle 26 miles in just one week for MS-UK

Graham Watson Brown, 59, is having to push himself to hit his My MS Marathon target by next weekend, as his condition means he is almost immobile. He is using a Thera-Trainer bike at his home in Goring and will cycle every other day for an hour at a time.

He said: "I’m doing this because I’ve turned to MS-UK for help in the past and I see all the good they are doing for people with MS. The condition is under-represented, people often don’t know anything about it, and so I’ll fundraise by doing whatever I can to help in any way.

"The MS-UK helpline offers emotional support and information to those living with MS at any point in their journey. I cannot stress the importance of having a helpline that is better staffed. With cancelled counselling services, this is the only support we have, and the only barrier is funding.

"I’ll be cycling every other day and having physiotherapy in between, and hoping that one day is enough for me to recover the energy to go again the next day.”

Graham was diagnosed with MS 15 years ago, after he went to the doctors because he noticed when having a drink with friends that he suddenly could not open his hand wide enough to pick up his pint glass.

He said: "The diagnosis was a blow but also a relief to know what it was. When you’ve got MS and get to my age, you’ve got to constantly rethink who you are and what you can do. I only really have proper mobility in my right index finger and thumb now, which I use to operate my wheelchair.”

The condition has caused Graham's mobility to decline to the point he now needs to be hoisted from his bed each morning. It takes his wife and carer Fiona three hours to get him up and dressed each day, he said.

My MS Marathon is MS-UK's annual fundraising event in July, allowing people of all abilities to take part by creating their own challenge based on the number 26, to match the number of miles in a marathon.

Visit www.justgiving.com/page/graham-watson-brown-1686838453396 to support Graham. For more information about the charity, visit www.ms-uk.org