Meet a fellow The May 50K participant.
Brendan is committed to walking 50km this May for MS research.
2023 will be this legend's 4 year taking part.
He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 11 years ago when he was 41 years old.
Prior to his diagnosis, Brendan suffered from chronic back pain and rheumatoid arthritis for 20 years.
“It’s just about doing something I want to do, whilst I can. I used to be a runner. I can’t run now so I walk. If my legs give up, then I'll use a chair, I'll roll.“I’m a fan of doing what you can, even if it’s not climbing Mount Everest. I want to show people that you still can do something."
Brendan’s ultimate goal is putting MS where it belongs, behind us. But he especially values how research can secure better treatments along the way, making life better for those living with MS.
“If you call MS a journey and think of it as a car, research is the key to get to where you need to go faster, more safely in a more enjoyable way. It gives you a more comfortable ride. The analogy I'm drawing here is that, ideally, we want research to lead to a cure, it would shorten the journey, but if not, research can make life more comfortable.”
Brendan lives with fatigue, temperature intolerance, balance issues, neuropathic pain and foot drop.
Speaking about his diagnosis, Brendan shares feeling let down by his body at the time.
“A key word that comes to mind is – not in a dramatic too introspective way – it’s a bit of disappointment in your own body. As in, you’re challenged in that you’re frustrated by what your own body is doing. It was mixed emotions.”
“One of the things which I think would be nice for people to understand is that MS is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You don’t get any rest. It’s unrelenting. I think also what I’d like people to know is that the vast majority of us, we’re just trying to do the best we can.”
“I think that there are still invisible prejudices about people participating in the workforce and doing things. The vast majority of it isn’t people trying to consciously discriminate against people with MS and other diseases, it’s more they think you won’t be able to do that, so they think they won’t give you that role or ask you to do that. Just ask me, am I up for this?”
Brendan swims, meditates, takes medication, practices yoga, and follows a low saturated fat diet.
“It’s a five-point program for me but each to their own. I take a multi-pronged approach. I do what I can. Do whatever works for you.”
As for The May 50K, he loves that everyone gets something out of it.
“People like to use phrases like win-win and hopefully The May 50K is a win-win-win. It’s a win for the individual – it's good for them – and it’s a win in terms of raising money for research, and hopefully a win for people like me who are the beneficiaries of the research.”
We couldn’t say it better ourselves!
Thank you for taking on The May 50K. Together, we are powerful. Together, we can make a brighter future for those living with multiple sclerosis.
