Charity walk to support Worcester mum with MND to help others with the disease
Stacy Bozward was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) last summer, with today's walk to raise funds for a charity she and her family are working on registering
A 26-mile charity walk from Birmingham to Worcester is being held today (23 August) in aid of a Worcestershire mum-of-two's efforts to raise more awareness of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
38-year-old Stacy Bozward, who lives in Worcester, was diagnosed with MND last summer, and has previously said she could date some of her initial symptoms such as a sore neck back to the previous year.
She's been working since then to fundraise for research into finding a cure and MND charities, holding the Kick for a Cure celebrity charity football match at Sixways at the end of June.
That event raised just under £7,000 for the MND Association and the Matt Gallagher Foundation, with the money raised from this latest one set to go towards the charity Stacy and her family are working to register in her name.
The charity will aim to support other families living with MND in the area once it is fully sorted, something which Stacy said is crucial to be able to offer.
"It’s so important to keep the fundraising going so that we are helping people with MMD in the area and donating to help research into a cure because it's so important that something is done," she said.
"It’ll be really special just to help people in a situation where you don't realise just how difficult life is.
"So to give back, and to help other people and families, it is going to be my legacy."
Her husband Barry added: "The money is going to help people with MND, so once charity status is granted, they'll be able to contact us, and if they need a wheelchair, if they need a day out, anything they need, we’re aiming to help.
"We've kind of been inspired by the help we received from the Matt Gallagher Foundation, they very kindly gave us a donation to go on holiday, and that's something Stacy wants to do and wants to carry on for people in Worcester."
The walk, which is being led by Stacy's brother, will see the group start from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where an MND centre is based which Stacy spent time at during her diagnosis, and make their way to Worcester along the canal.
It's set to finish at Fernhill Heath's White Hart pub.