More MS news articles for June 2004

I'll walk a mile for Sport Relief, says MS man

Gutsy Greg will leave his wheelchair to tackle charity challenge

http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=545&ArticleID=810729

22 June 2004
Bedford Times & Citizen

Thousands of people throughout the country will take part in the Sport Relief Mile on July 10 to raise money for much needed aid in the UK and abroad.

While for most people the event will be a fun and rewarding addition to their usual exercise patterns for one Luton resident the mile "run" will take on marathon proportions.

Greg Roden, 29, suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and has been confined to a wheelchair for the last two years.
However, he intends to leave his wheelchair and attempt to complete the mile on foot with the aid of his walking frame.

Greg said: "I have no idea whether I can complete the mile or not but my M.S. is a degenerative condition and if I can't do it now it is unlikely that I will ever be able to manage it so it seems the right time to try.

"It's strange really, before my diagnosis the only thing that was ever likely to motivate me to run a mile was to get away from participating in a sports event!"

He added: "For me, it is a personal challenge.

"I walked 30 metres recently and when I thought about it realised that is the furthest I had walked in the last 18 months.

"So now I've got until July 10 to stretch that to a mile."

Greg, who lives in Luton, is collecting sponsorship for both Sports Relief and the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Bedford.

"The centre has helped me and many other M.S. sufferers in the local area and I think that they deserve to benefit from my efforts as well," he said.