Kate deserves a holiday! (A surprise holiday!)

Hi, I'm Helen and I'm fundraising to give my best friend, Kathryn, a long-awaited, much needed holiday!

Kate was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2003 at the age of 27. She is wheelchair bound with no independent movement bar the use of her right thumb and depends on others for all her physical needs.

Kate is the most caring, positive and giving person and never complains about her condition or the effects it has on her daily life. Over the last few years she has battled through many trials and tribulations - including close friends and family being diagnosed with conditions such as cancer, depression and neurological diseases like Parkinson's - her response to these has been to offer whatever support she can ( a listening ear, a kind or funny social media post/WhatsApp message to cheer the recipient up, the offer of a cuppa and a chance to offload worries). Kate has seen/heard of many other MND patients passing away (some in a fraction of the time in which she has lived with the condition) or deteriorating rapidly, but maintains a positive mindset about her future which I have no doubt is partly the reason she is still 'not dead yet' as stated on her Facebook profile.

Kate recently confided in me that she is desperate for a holiday, but is unable to afford one as she is reliant on full time carers and would have to take two with her for a week away. This would cost a minimum of £2500 for suitable accommodation and carer costs even just in the UK and this is just not something that Kate can find.

I would love to be able to give Kate the means to get away from her 'normal life' for a week and have a well-deserved holiday for the first time in years - before her diagnosis Kate was an enthusiastic traveller and always off on a UK road trip to see friends at university or flying across the pond to the USA.

Kate turns 50 in September 2026 and it would be wonderful to be able to give her the opportunity to celebrate approaching that milestone birthday and defying the MND odds for more than 21 years. All funds raised will be given directly to Kate to use on a holiday of her choice. Any extra would be used at Kate's discretion for extras whilst away or to make home improvements needed to make life more comfortable for her.