Running for Nige

Remembering Nige

Nigel Montague Mattocks was a legend, born on 8 December 1968.
Dear Nige would have been a mighty 57 years old today.

Nige was born in East London, one of three brothers alongside Roy and Paul.
When I met him in 2001, he was living in Hackney while I was teaching nearby. He was working as a social worker in the borough of Brent, with a deep passion for helping people facing socio-economic challenges find jobs and training.

His work often took him into the housing estates of Harlesden, where he was loved by so many. Walking around Harlesden with Nige felt like being beside a rock star — people would stop him constantly, drawn to his warmth, his humour, and the genuine care he showed for others.

In 2004, we moved back to Sydney, where our beautiful daughter Emily arrived — the happiest moment of our lives, but especially for Nige, who took to parenthood like a duck to water. He named her Emily, though to him she was always “my little princess.”

Nige loved Manchester United — especially players like Ryan Giggs, the Gary Neville and Phil Neville, Eric Cantona, and Bobby Charlton.
He loved rum and Guinness, and above all, he loved his family — particularly his brother Roy. They shared a bedroom for nearly 20 years before becoming next-door neighbours; truly two peas in a pod.

A few years after making Sydney our home, we began to notice changes in Nige. He became a little more withdrawn, and then his vision started to change. This led us to seek medical advice, and in 2008 he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

The MRI scan lit up like a Christmas tree, revealing active lesions in his brain and spinal cord, and showing that the disease had already progressed significantly.

And yet, over the next eight years, Nige showed us the very best of what it means to be human — perseverance, grit, and an uncapped joy for life. His love for Emily and for those around him never wavered. While the challenges were often excruciating, we never let MS define who he was, nor did it diminish our pursuit of a life filled with friends, family, sport, and laughter.

Nige passed away on 1 May 2016 — ten years ago now.
Our lives have never been the same since he left, and yet, in so many ways, we are stronger and more inspired because he was in them.

Emily and I still talk to him every day.
We ask for his advice, his guidance, his strength — and somehow, he always finds a way to answer.

This year, to mark ten years, we are running for Nige — and for all the people and families navigating this complex disease.

We loved Nigel. We love him still. We always will.
And we hope, in everything we do, we are making him proud — keeping that beautiful, unforgettable smile alive.

Support our challenge to leave MS behind!

We are taking part in The May 50K challenge this May to raise funds for life-changing research into multiple sclerosis!

MS strikes young people in the prime of their lives. The average age of diagnosis is only 30 years old, and there is no known cure.

Please make a donation and support our challenge to leave MS where it belongs, behind us.

Your donation will support research into the prevention, treatment and finding a cure for multiple sclerosis to change lives.

Thank you!