Moray woman limbers up for epic Himalayas trek in husband's memory for MND Scotland
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A MORAY woman is limbering up to take on an epic trek in memory of her husband who died in his 40s from Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Christine Lester (61), from Auchenhalrig near Spey Bay, plans to take on the 2021 Himalayas Challenge in tribute to her late husband, Tim, who passed away in 2009, aged just 49, after suffering from the terminal illness for two and a half years.
Christine is hiking local Marilyns and nearby sections of the Moray Coast Trail in preparation for the challenge in September this year, which will see a team tackle Nepal's 3210m-high Poon Hill in aid of MND Scotland.
The charity provides care and support to people affected by MND, as well as funding research into finding a cure.
Christine and Tim married in 1986. At age 47, Tim was diagnosed with MND, a progressive, incurable illness which stops signals from the brain reaching muscles in the body.
Tim, a lover of the great outdoors, sadly passed away 30 months later. He would have turned 61 this month.
During his illness, the couple set up initiatives and began fundraising with friends and family.
Their efforts included taking on the Speyside Way – while Tim was in a wheelchair – to raise money for MND Scotland. Christine completed the challenge 12 months after Tim died – having raised more than £13,000.
Christine, a non-executive board member with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: "The diagnosis came as a massive shock to us, our families and friends.
"Tim, however, was determined to carry on as best he could and to raise awareness of the condition.
"So he started fundraising for MND Scotland, who were supporting us. He lobbied the Scottish Parliament on disability rights, appearing on radio and in the newspapers.
"During Tim’s illness, our son, Alex, and I cared for him at home.
"With a lot of support from others, we made the best of those 30 months and lived the best life we could. We travelled, celebrated and did almost everything we had promised we would do together when we eventually retired.
"The last five months of Tim’s life were really tough on us all. Alex was just turning 17 and I was made redundant six weeks before I was widowed.
"Then, on our wedding anniversary in 2009, aged only 49, Tim passed away."
She added: "Our whole experience of losing Tim made me very focused on the tragedy of MND, and the hopeless situation faced by families and their support networks.
"We raised money and awareness back then and now – 11 years on – it seems a good time to do it all again."
Moray was under tier 1 Covid-19 restrictions when Christine started training last year. Although limited by the current lockdown, she is getting the miles in locally on individual walks with each of her three dogs.
Iain McWhirter, MND Scotland’s head of fundraising, said: "Christine is one of the amazing 38 participants who will be taking on this once-in-a-lifetime challenge to raise funds for MND Scotland.
"Without supporters like Christine we wouldn’t be able to help people affected by MND across the country, when they need us most.
"Our Himalayas team are also taking us a step closer to finding a cure for MND through their incredible fundraising efforts. We cannot thank Christine enough for her continued support and for speaking out to help raise awareness."
You can support Christine in her challenge by donating on her Just Giving page.
