Fundraiser of the month – February

A Fulham grandmother with multiple sclerosis (MS) has walked four marathons in four days to raise a whopping £36,455 for the charity close to her heart, MS-UK.

Juliet Stebbings was diagnosed with MS 17 years ago, and the diagnosis hit her hard. A huge fitness fan before she developed the condition, Juliet could be found in the gym every day, and loved running. But running soon became impossible. “My balance had gone,” she explains. “And accepting and dealing with that was so hard.

“I used to do reformer Pilates, but I was falling off the machines and my confidence went.” And so Juliet decided to re-imagine a new life of fitness that worked for her and her diagnosis. “I took up barre Pilates, which is great for core strength – I do two classes a day, and walking. I wanted to create a new way to work out, not just do my old stuff badly.

“I feel that if you’re fit, you recover so much better from a relapse. At first, my doctors were telling me to rest all the time – but that’s not me at all. I do listen to my body, but I love my regime and since I’ve been fit, and I stopped drinking about three or four years ago, I’ve had no relapses at all – and I was having five a year. But the mental health side of it has been the biggest part for me.”

Juliet now averages 30,000 steps a day and 50,000 on weekend days – many of which she spends walking around London with her son Harry Stebbings, who she loves spending time with. “Then we just came up with the idea of walking the distance of four marathons in four days.” The challenge captured people’s imaginations and the pair soon raised the huge sum of £36,455 for the charity. Harry has a huge podcast following for The Twenty Minute VC – which is all about becoming a venture capitalist – and Juliet says his connection to MS has resonated with many of his followers. “He gets lots of feedback from people around the world diagnosed with MS themselves who say reading about his mother has inspired them – which is just amazing for me to read.”

Juliet chose MS-UK as the support they provide is unique – they are there for everyone with MS, but also their family and friends. “When you’re diagnosed with a disease like this, it’s very scary, and very frightening,” says Juliet. “But it can be equally scary for everyone around you. You get all the fuss from medical teams, but your loved ones get no guidance on how to deal with things.

“What I love about MS-UK is that my teenage sons, my parents and my sister all had a lifeline in that they could call and get help from this charity, too. They learned how to help me as well as help themselves.” “MS-UK provides a free helpline, information resources and online peer support for people affected by MS, to help those living with the condition in the here and now take control of their wellbeing.

“The mental health side of things is so important. I couldn’t do what I do without my family, no matter how strong I sound. And who else is going to help them know what to do? To me, the support from MS-UK for them and me is as important as a tablet to treat the condition!”