Telford man's mountain bike challenge to support Wolverhampton MS Therapy Centre

James's story

Over a decade ago, I went partially blind.

I only really noticed when I arrived at work one day, and I couldn't read the words on my screen.

At first, I thought it was a migraine and it would pass.

It didn't pass.

Little did I know that this was the start of a life altering process that would turn my world upside down.

After attending an appointment with an optometrist, I was referred to an eye hospital to investigate the issue with my sight. The doctors did not understand what was wrong with me, as from the tests they had done no cause could be found. This started off a series of more tests, looking for more and more extreme potential causes of my sight issue. Over time, my sight returned back to normal, but the tests continued.

After a year, I was finally diagnosed.

"We are 95% certain you have Multiple Sclerosis."

At this point everything changed. I had been doing my own research and had come to the conclusion that MS was a likely prognosis. This gave me the chance to prepare, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks. What struck me most was that even the neurology consultant couldn't with 100% certainty give me a prognosis. This is because there is no test for MS. Once everything has been ruled out, it becomes the only valid explanation.

MS is a condition that affects nerves in your central nervous system. That's your brain and spinal cord. In MS, the coating (called myelin) that protects your nerves is damaged. This causes a range of symptoms like blurred vision and problems with how we move, think and feel.

Once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life. There is no cure. All that can be done is treatments to try manage symptoms and reduce progress of the disease.

I was initially diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). This is when I have relapses, where new or worsening symptoms occur, followed by remission. Imagine my body as a vase. The vase gets knocked onto the floor and becomes damaged. This is like a relapse. Now imagine carefully gluing the pieces of vase back together. It isn't perfect, but the vase holds water again. Over time, multiple relapses occur, and more permanent damage is collected. Over the years this has left me with numbness in multiple areas of my body, constant pain, spasticity, difficulty walking, fatigue, and many other issues.

Then in 2024, my prognosis was updated. The behaviour of my MS had changed. I was no longer relapsing, but I was seemingly continuing to decline. At this point, my consultant moved me to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS). Back to the vase analogy, it is no longer being knocked to the floor and being glued back together; the glue is simply failing. The constant onslaught of new issues forced me to give up things I loved to do. One of the things which ended up on the "too hard" pile was my love of mountain biking.

I started to explore any and all options to try improve my outlook. It was at this point, I discovered the Wolverhampton Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre. The centre provides hyperbaric oxygen therapy, as well as other physical and wellness therapies to help people like me. They are completely reliant on charitable donations and the volunteers who offer their time to run the centre.

Since attending weekly oxygen sessions, it has made a marked difference to my quality of life. It would be wrong to say it has fixed me. It hasn't, nor did I think it would. What it has done is help me get back in the right frame of mind and relieve some of my symptoms enough to get me going again. To this end, I have managed to get back on a bike.

This year is the 40th year the centre has been open, and I would like to repay them by giving back something, as they have given me so much. I thought it fitting to get on my bike and set myself a challenge to complete to show how much it means to me.

I have signed up to complete a mountain bike enduro race in August called the Bolly Skyline. It is an 8 stage timed event, around 25-30km long with 800-1000m of climbing. It is going to be the toughest challenge I think I have ever faced both physically and mentally, so please help encourage me by supporting the people who have made this possible for me to attempt this. It is the centre's 40th year this year, and they are hoping to raise £40,000 for 40 years of helping others. Every penny I can raise toward this total would mean the world to me.

To support James, head to: justgiving.com/page/james-talbot-mtb

The Wolverhampton & District MS Therapy Centre was established in 1986 to provide therapy and support to people with Multiple Sclerosis and their families. We provide treatments, guidance, moral and practical support for persons suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and other illnesses.