Latest news with #MND.It
BBC News
15-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Swindon 'life-changing' research to help choking in MND
Research described as "life-changing" is under way in a bid to help people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) with a distressing symptom of the disease - is one of the most life-threatening symptoms of the disease and the focus of the research is to develop guidance for healthcare professionals, carers and people living with is being led by Swindon's Prospect Hospice and Great Western Hospital, along with the University of Oxford. The plan is to get insight from people living with MND and their families. Dorinda Moffatt, MND specialist practitioner at the hospice, said it would give "carers clearer guidance on how to manage choking episodes safely and with dignity". With funding from the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the project is called "Management of Choking in People Living with Motor Neurone Disease: A Co-Designed, Evidence-Based Clinical Algorithm". Dr Sara Mazzucco, Neurology Consultant at Great Western Hospital said: "We are thrilled to have been awarded funding from the Motor Neurone Disease Association to be able to take forward this life-changing research."Bringing everyone together in a shared space means we can have open conversations, grounded in compassion, and give those who live with the condition the chance to be directly involved in developing treatments that will positively affect others on the MND journey," she added.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Sam Perkins: ''He was overcoming MND to live an extraordinary life'
Tributes have been paid to a keen athlete and Nottingham Forest fan who has died after suffering from motor neurone disease (MND).Sam Perkins, from East Leake in Nottinghamshire, was diagnosed with the incurable condition aged just 37 in 2019, and raised more than £250,000 for research through his charity Stand Against wife Emma Perkins said he dedicated his time after being diagnosed to helping others and raising manager Nuno Espirito Santo said the club is saddened at the loss, while a professor at the University of Nottingham said the funds he raised would leave a lasting legacy. Mr Perkins also set up the Fifty50 campaign to recruit 50 fundraisers to raise money in 2023, the name recognising the 50% chance of dying in the first two years after being diagnosed with raised more than double its original £25,000 target, with former Forest captain Joe Worrall among the Perkins said she was proud of the way her husband dedicated the time he had left to fundraising, which included taking part in races and even writing children's books."He wasn't just overcoming MND to live a normal life, he was overcoming MND to live an extraordinary life and help others," she Wellington, a four-time Ironman Triathlon world champion who helped raise money for Mr Perkins' charity efforts, said he approached every challenge "with positivity, and with a smile, and with grit and with gusto"."If we could all live our lives a little bit like Sam, I think the world would be a much better place," she said. Alan Perkins said his son "was an inspiration to so many and also to me"."He never ceased to amaze me with his strength, courage, determination and such a wonderful attitude that he showed through everything MND threw at him," he said."I will always cherish the special memories of our time together supporting Forest."Nuno said he was pleased to have met Mr Perkins, adding he is "a beautiful example" of the connection between the club and the city."Sam was such a special person, [with] all the charity that he did, and he was a big Forest fan," he said."We are sad, but I think it is an example for us to always [do] those things in life, [to] help each other." 'A special person' MND is a condition which affects the brain and nerves and leads to weaknesses that gradually get to the NHS, early symptoms of the condition can include slurred speech, weakness in the legs and ankles, muscle cramps and Layfield, from the University of Nottingham's medical school, has been leading research into MND, with Stand Against MND helping to fund a PhD student and undergraduate said Mr Perkins was "a real inspiration" for the team, adding his fundraising and awareness efforts allowed them "to do more ambitious research"."We really want Sam's legacy to be one that goes on for many years, and we think the things he's put in place encouraging the research I think will bear fruit in the next five to 10 years," he said."Whenever I see Nottingham Forest and they win I think of Sam."He's just a big part of Nottingham, he's a big part of the university, and he really will be missed."
