A Northamptonshire family is featured in the MS Society’s new £100million Stop MS campaign which airs for the first time on TV tonight.
Jacqueline Krarup, 57, lives with the secondary progressive form of MS. Together with her son Ed, she is now starring in an advertising campaign for the MS Society’s Stop MS Appeal, which launched to the public on Tuesday.
Jacqueline – whose older sister Yolanda also lives with progressive MS – said: “The thing with MS is that it gnaws at you. I can’t walk more than 10 yards unaided and my sister is in a wheelchair. But I’m still the person I was before my diagnosis, I just have to think a little differently about what I can and can’t do. I can no longer be impulsive.
“That’s why I wanted to star in the advert – to highlight how MS can be unpredictable and different for everyone. The Stop MS Appeal needs to raise £100 million over ten years to find treatments for everyone living with MS, so we don’t need to worry about it getting worse.”
Jacqueline worked in fundraising before her MS forced to her to take early retirement. Now, she splits her time between riding her pony and volunteering for the Northamptonshire MS Support Group.
- Over [100,000] people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK
- MS damages nerves in your body and makes it harder to do everyday things, like walk, talk, eat and think
- It’s relentless, painful, and disabling
- It’s unpredictable and different for everyone
More than 100,000 people live with MS in the UK and a huge number – including Jacqueline – don’t have treatment. This means that as their condition progresses there is nothing to stop them becoming more disabled. With the backing of expert scientists, the MS Society claims we can expect to see a range of treatments for everyone in late stage trials by as early as 2025.
“There are so many brilliant researchers and scientists working to stop MS. I urge the general public to get behind this campaign as I really believe we are so close to finding the right treatments for people, like my sister and me, who have progressive MS. This is a success story,” Jacqueline said.
Jacqueline features alongside three other people with MS in the MS Society film, which shows some of the daily challenges of life with the condition. We see Jacqueline having an MRI, as other stars get ready in the morning or attend physio. They are all singing Fleetwood Mac’s much loved ‘Don’t Stop’ – the Stop MS Appeal anthem, chosen because the lyrics reflect the community’s hope for the future of treatment, and the positive changes possible through the Appeal.
The film, which includes a voiceover from actor Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible: 2), will first air in a slot during Channel 4’s new primetime show the Dog House at 8pm.
Nick Moberly, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said: “For the first time we believe stopping MS is possible. Research has got us to a critical point, and we can see a future where nobody needs to worry about MS getting worse.
“With our support, the worldwide research community is now coming together to help us achieve our goal of finding treatments for everyone. But we need to act now, and we need help. We are so incredibly grateful to Jacqueline and Ed and all the amazing people who have helped make this campaign possible, and together will help us raise vital awareness of MS.”
The Stop MS Appeal will enable new projects, fund critical infrastructure, and deliver a first-of-its-kind MS clinical trials platform, which together could finally address the major unmet need in MS treatment. For information about MS or to donate visit mssociety.org.uk. To donate or for more information visit mssociety.org.uk/stop. Or text FUTURE6 to 70800 to donate £5.
