A Lothian Buses driver is on a mission to raise much needed funds into research for Motor Neuron Disease (MND).
Gregor Miller, who is based at Lothian’s Longstone depot, lost his dad in 2019 to MND – a fatal, rapidly progressing neurological disease.
Gregor tells us: “It’s a horrific terminal disease that renders the sufferer immobile. Family members also have to cope with the mental and physical emotions of supporting their loved one through this process.
“Following my dad’s death, I decided to raise funds and awareness into MND research to find a cure. I’d never run before so to challenge myself I decided to complete a 42-mile run from Stirling Castle to Tynecastle in May 2021, raising over £20,000 for the My Name’s Doddie Foundation, the Euan Macdonald Foundation and MND Scotland.”
Having seen the success of that fundraising project and wanting to build on it further, Gregor has set himself a mammoth task: to complete 5 running challenges over the next 8 months covering a combined distance of 363.3 miles!
“I’ve tasked myself with a My 5 MND Challenge which will kick off with the Inverness Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday 12 March, the Manchester Marathon (26.2 miles) on Sunday 16 April, the Glasgow to Edinburgh Union Canal (50 miles) in May, and the GB Ultra Scotland across Southern Uplands to Melrose (106 miles) on Saturday 10 June.
“The biggest run, to conclude the challenge, is called the Caley-Castle Crusade – covering the 165-mile distance between Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s grounds on Friday 29 September arriving at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh on Sunday 1 October.”
Although this challenge is going to be especially tough, Gregor takes strength from others who’ve been affected by the disease. “I was inspired by not only my dad,” Gregor said, “but by Marius Zaliukas (former Hearts FC captain) and Doddie Weir (Scotland Rugby), who have since lost their battles, and by Rob Burrow (Leeds Rhinos) who continues to fight.”
Lothian Buses is proud to be supporting Gregor by suppling a coach for The Caley-Castle Crusade to allow Gregor and supporters to get changed, get something to eat, and to shelter from the elements.
Anyone who’d like to support Gregor would be very welcome to make a contribution on his donation page, with funds being split between MND Scotland, the Euan MacDonald Centre and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. You can also follow his progress over the coming months on his Facebook page.
Best of luck to you, Gregor, from all at #TeamLothian!
About MND
MND attacks the nerves that control movement (motor neurons) so that muscles no longer work. Motor neurons control important muscle activity such as gripping, walking, speaking, swallowing, and breathing. As these nerves are attacked, messages gradually stop reaching muscles. This initially leads to weakness, wasting and then, eventually, severe paralysis and breathing difficulties. You can find out more here.