Nicholas discovered he had MS at the age of 23 and while it’s been troublesome along the way he has survived exceptionally well. Before he went onto beta interferon drug therapy – he injects himself with Avonex every week – he had suffered periods when he couldn’t walk, lost the sight in his left eye and had bouts of extreme fatigue. Luckily he recovered completely after each attack, albeit his balance and feeling in the soles of his feet are not at they should be. He puts a good deal of his ability to combat the disease down to his complete refusal to let it have the upper hand, believing that a positive mental attitude contributes to his wellbeing.

And he has had to call upon that positive mental attitude many times over the past years. Some 7 years ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in a form that needed immediate attention, rather than watchful waiting to see how the disease developed. He had his prostate removed by robot assisted surgery and luckily found that the tumour had been contained within the prostate so there was no need for further intervention and he was deemed cured.

A couple of years later a growth was found in his gall bladder prompting yet another operation to remove it. The growth was found to be benign and once again he has been lucky in finding that he operates well without a gall bladder.

Along the way the man has had replacement ACLs (Anterior Cruciate Ligaments) in both knees as a result of skiing accidents, and last year had his big toe joint fused with the insertion of metal bars and screws as it had disintegrated after years of walking badly from the MS.

After all that you may have thought that the man would have taken up residence on the sofa but no, Nicholas says that he has had a charmed life, can walk again without pain and is reasonably fit. He wants to climb Mount Aspiring on New Zealand’s South Island as a celebration of life and the fact that he’s still standing and is (hopefully)capable of climbing a mountain! He is writing a blog about the trials and tribulations of training and will climb the mountain in aid of MS and Prostate Cancer. Please support him by logging on to his fund raising page and donating to his chosen charities on http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/nicholasicbrown

We at The Massage Centre wish Nicholas all the best and look forward to helping him get fit and stay fit for the challenge!