A brave Glasgow mum who suffered from MND showed "immense resilience and courage" every step of the way, before the rapidly progressing illness sadly took her life.
Allyson Risi's son Michael, 26 from Glasgow, is preparing to run in the Edinburgh Marathon in memory of his much-loved mum, raising awareness and funds for MND Scotland along the way.
Speaking on the first time Allyson began to show symptoms, Michael said: “Mum’s first noticeable symptoms were stiffening of the ankle and slurred speech. After being referred to a specialist, the process of elimination began."
READ MORE: Lanarkshire dad shares son's heartbreaking final words hours before he took his own life
Sadly, after undergoing further tests to rule out other possible diseases, she was diagnosed with MND in August 2020.
Allyson dealt with the diagnosis like no other: "It was a true testament to her character how she dealt with this illness. Every step of the way, Mum showed immense resilience and courage, all done with a smile on her face."
MND progresses rapidly and can shorten one's life expectancy to just 18 months after diagnosis.
Michael continued: "As the disease worsened, so did her mobility, which ultimately left her being unable to control any of the muscles in her body and unable to talk and eat for the last year or so of her life."
Marking a year on from Alysson passing, her son will be accompanied by friends Chris, James, Gary, Ian and Rebecca, to take on the 26.2 mile challenge on May 28.
Determined Michael said: “We are all quite active but none of us have really done any competitive or long-distance running.
“I can only really speak for myself, but I’d say it’s going well. There’s peaks and troughs, but we started with 5km runs and slowly increased the distance over time, running in the region of 25 km now."
In order to test their training so far, the friends recently took part in the Alloa Half-Marathon.
He added: “We all thoroughly enjoyed the half (surprisingly!), and it has given us lots of confidence to push on with our training.
“I think we’ve all been surprised with how well the body can cope with different demands, especially when you’re trying to achieve a goal to raise awareness and generate as much interest as possible in something as devastating as motor neuron disease.”
The group of friends have found extra motivation through their fundraising success, surpassing their initial £3,000 goal in just 24 hours and are now on the way to raising over £7,500.
He said: “We honestly thought that if we could raise £500 each, then that would be a success but to reach that in the first day was unbelievable. We all feel grateful for every donation. It’s been humbling to be honest.
“My mum would be immensely proud of our effort and determination to help a great cause and I know she will be with us every step of the way!'
Thanking Michael for his support, Head of Fundraising, Julie Macdonald said: “It’s incredible to hear how Michael and his friends have pushed themselves to take on the Edinburgh Marathon and we cannot thank them enough for challenging themselves to support people affected by MND.
“Thanks to them, we can continue to fund pioneering research and provide vital services that many people living with MND rely on.
“Well done, Michael, Chris, James, Gary, Ian and Rebecca on making time count for the Scottish MND community and we wish you all the best with the marathon. Good luck and thank you!”
You can support Michael’s amazing efforts by donating here.
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