A Wirral parent was left 'struggling' when her mum was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 12 years after her father was given the same diagnosis.
Kat Garner, 37, from the Wirral was told that her mum, Monica, 64, had multiple sclerosis (MS) just twelve years after her dad, Paul, 64 was diagnosed with the disease. However, her dad is less affected by the disease, which affects one in every 500 people, than her mum, who is 'wheelchair bound' and relies on her husband to care for her.
Her parents' conditions have driven Kat to do good in the world, and together with Kirsty White, 37, who suffers with MS herself, she has raised over £30,000 in aid of MS Society UK, a charity that works to support those living with MS so no one with the condition has to suffer alone. The fundraising group ran by the pair, called Wirral GeMS (meaning Get Even with Multiple Sclerosis) was created after they met through their children who were born 'days apart', according to Kat.
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Kat said: "My dad's MS was well managed so as a child we weren’t really aware of his struggles. He would rest when he needed it and so I wouldn’t say it affected my sister and me.
"[When mum was diagnosed] it was awful, people couldn’t believe they both had the condition. Mum's MS much more aggressive too so it’s very difficult to see.
"Her condition has deteriorated rapidly. MS is sometimes known as the snowflake disease because each case is unique.
"She’s wheelchair bound and relies on my dad on a daily basis."
MS is a condition which affects the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms which range from problems with vision, arm or leg movement to difficulties with balance or sensation. The NHS reports that it is two to three times more common in women than men.
"My dad was diagnosed in 1997 and Mum 12 years later. My Mums MS is more progressive & my Dad is her full time carer.
"Obviously this is challenging when he has his own health to consider. My sister & I help out as much as we can but every day is a challenge for them.
"I'm really struggling to see them struggling on a daily basis. To other people they might look well but there is constant pain which they have to live with.
"This is why I’m so passionate about fundraising. I want to raise as much as possible to go towards research to help people suffering and their families."
She and Kirsty have been working together to fundraise for MS Society UK for nine years now. Kat said: "I met Kirsty at a baby group nine years ago and discovered she has MS too. We had seen an advert for an MS Society UK event ‘cake break’ and thought we would give it a go.
"We got a group of new mums together and it went from there. We were originally the Yummy Mummies & raised just shy of £4,000 at our first event in August 2013."
Their almost decade-long fundraising efforts have recently hit a huge milestone. This is even with a slower period caused by the pandemic.
Kat said: "The support we get is absolutely fantastic! Knowing where all that money is going is an amazing feeling, I was really overwhelmed hitting the £30,000 at the beginning of the month."
Speaking about the formational first year of Wirral GeMS, Kat said: "We had such a big group of amazing helpers that it all just fell into place. We were all on maternity leave at the time so we had plenty of time on our hands to make our first event a big one.
"As time has gone on and lives are busy it can be a challenge so I try to do smaller events more often now. We’ve moved from cake break which were like a big family fair to family photoshoots which are super popular.
"We’ve also done a few random things like the world fastest zip line in Snowdonia and Kirsty even threw herself out of a plane!
"Last few years have been quiet with Covid we haven’t been able to do much but we are planning a big summer raffle this year and already have a huge amount of prizes on offer.
"Next year is our 10th anniversary and we are hoping to plan a summer ball. It will take a lot of planning but we’re confident we can do it together."
If you're interested in following Kat and Kirsty's story you can follow them on Facebook here.
