I won’t let MS beat me!

Rebecca Lyth has multiple sclerosis and is running the Manchester Marathon next month. Here we share her inspirational story for International Women’s Day

Well a marathon must be one of the greatest achievements for anyone, certainly one to tick off the bucket list. I never thought I would be crazy enough to sign up for this but here we are!!

I could reel off a million reasons why someone that has a chronic neurological disease, who persistently struggles through daily life but just chooses to never complain or show the true impact of their condition, should not even entertain running a marathon but who wants to read about that!

My life is now pretending I’m fine, every single day, just because it’s easier for everyone else to deal with, because who really wants to hear the constant complaining of a girl in pain! Pain that can’t be seen, pain that others don’t understand, neurological pain that you couldn’t even comprehend, unless you have severe nerve damage yourself.

A curveball

Getting diagnosed with MS was never part of the plan. Learning to accept a disease that has no cure was challenging and it sure has taken me a while! I felt so ashamed of something that was completely out of my control – was it something I deserved? All I knew for sure was that it was something I couldn’t fix and all the moaning in the world wasn’t going to help anyone!

I am raising money but also awareness of such an undervalued condition, so that one day down the line, someone, somewhere might be able to find a cure. However, for right now, I’d take just one day of waking up without experiencing any pain, so that I could have just one more day of being a normal person!

What running this marathon really means for me…

Pain! Setting off in pain, knowing there’s a solid 26.2 miles ahead of me, where my pain is only going to increase with every step. Fatigue! Not being able to function because today fatigue hit you harder than it did yesterday because you decided to overdo it!

However, here is my thought process. Whether it’s friends, family, medical professionals or just someone you share your story with, constantly being told that you can’t do something, you’re not capable of that anymore or that it’s just too difficult for you now, is beyond draining! So, I’m just going to smile, do my own thing, remember that pain is just a feeling and that no one should decide your own limits, except you!

I’m just going to get out there and create my own achievements with my best people, as I know they’re the ones that will get me through this. This is how I know I will be able to make it to the finish line, even with 26.2miles ahead of me because of the friends that believe in me. They will be behind me every step of the way, helping me to be that person who beats all the odds.

You can read more about my challenge with the following link to my fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/page/rebecca-lyth-1698470591005