On 16 August 2022, brothers John, Paul and Sean Pert will walk from Montrose, Angus, to Celtic Park, Glasgow, in honour of their father and lifelong Celtic F.C fan, Steven, who was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND) earlier this year.
Covering between 26 and 30 miles a day, the three brothers will walk a total of 120 miles over five days, finishing at Celtic Park, just in time for the game between the families beloved Celtic F.C and Heart of Midlothian F.C on 21 August 2022.
Recalling the first time he felt something was wrong, Steven said: “During June 2020, while lockdown restrictions were in place, my wife, Yvonne and I decided to keep active by taking regular walks, but I noticed that I was having difficulty walking up even slight gradients, I was getting tired very quickly and found myself struggling to breathe.”
“With nothing seeming as though it was improving naturally, I contacted my doctor two weeks later, but with the ongoing pandemic taking priority at the time, everything was sadly delayed.”
To avoid waiting any longer to find out the cause of the problem, Steven visited a private doctor in Glasgow and after undergoing various tests, he was sadly diagnosed with MND on January 5th, 2022.
MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which stops signals from the brain from reaching the muscles. This can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink or breathe unaided and the average life expectancy is just 18 months from diagnosis.
Speaking on his diagnosis, Steven said: “When I was told I have MND, I was devastated. I’m still trying to come to terms with it. It’s such an emotionally draining thing to carry around every day that I’m just grateful to have the support of my family and the Celtic community.”
Before being diagnosed with MND, Steven had worked for Network Rail for 38 years as a Signalman but was forced to stop working due to his condition.
Steven’s wife, Yvonne added: ‘It feels like the whole family is going through a grieving process. We had planned to retire in two years’ time, but sadly, that’s all changed now.
“We are just taking it a day at a time right now, that’s the only thing we can do.”
Steven has already banked his voice and had a feeding tube fitted, both of which although necessary, serve as painful daily reminders of his illness.
On the range of support Steven has received from MND Scotland, he said: “MND Scotland have provided me with fantastic support and have been a massive help with the legal side of things, such as sorting power of attorney, as well as providing me with equipment, including a new profiling bed and rise and recline chair.
“The support I have received from the team at MND Scotland has been first class and from helping with having our bathroom refitted to helping us organise a holiday to one of their chalets, I cannot thank them all enough.”
Along with receiving support from MND Scotland, Steven has also been supported by the Celtic F.C community.
He said: “Celtic is a huge part of my life and the fact I am still able to attend games means the world to me.
“The club themselves have been extremely accommodating and have helped me to keep attending games by providing me with a new parking space closer to the entrance and a lift to my seat, which thankfully now means I only have to walk ten steps before I am able to sit down.
“Celtic is more than a football club, it’s a community and following the team has really helped to keep my mind focused during this really difficult time.
Talking about having his three sons fundraise together for MND Scotland, Steven said: “Having my sons raise money for a charity that has done so much for our family means the world to me and I feel extremely proud.
“The Just Giving page managed to raise over £3,000 in just nine days and is now over £4,000! To be honest, the huge amount of support we have already received from family, friends, the Celtic community and beyond has been an extremely humbling experience.”
Rachel Maitland, MND Scotland CEO said: “MND Scotland exists to support people like Steven, and we feel extremely fortunate to have his sons, John, Paul and Sean taking on this epic challenge to support the work of the charity. Thank you from everyone at MND Scotland!”
You can support Steven’s sons, John, Paul and Sean on their 120-mile trek by making a donation.
For more ways to support MND Scotland visit www.mndscotland.org.uk.
