0:00:11 > 0:00:12I've often put myself
0:00:12 > 0:00:13in extreme situations
0:00:13 > 0:00:15for the sheer thrill of it.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18That's me hurling myself off the highest bungee jump in the world.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24But I think the scariest moment in my life
0:00:24 > 0:00:27was when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It was a real shock to my family
0:00:29 > 0:00:32when I had to break the news to them. None of us saw this coming.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36I'd just become a father and was determined to not be beaten by it.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But MS is unpredictable, which means I never know how or when
0:00:39 > 0:00:42it's going to affect me - whether problems with my vision,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45sensitivity to hot and cold, numbness, fatigue -
0:00:45 > 0:00:47and that's just something my family and I
0:00:47 > 0:00:49now have to think about every day.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53I'm not unusual getting MS in my 20s.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57But most people with the condition are actually women, like Charlotte.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00When I was probably about 20,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I started having some funny sensations in my eye -
0:01:03 > 0:01:05like a hair or something was in there.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I kept fiddling and trying to get it out.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10I had no idea what was round the corner.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14After experiencing more worrying symptoms,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17she saw a specialist who diagnosed the problem.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18She had MS.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Most of the time, her symptoms are mild.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23But she lives with the constant threat of relapse,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25never knowing when one will strike.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Is it going to happen tomorrow, is it going to be next week,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29is it going to be at Christmas?
0:01:29 > 0:01:31When's it going to happen? We just don't know.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39When I'm at my worst point, it's just horrible. It's like being...
0:01:39 > 0:01:41It's like being a rag doll.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I'm stuck in bed, I can't move,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46but your brain is still the same
0:01:46 > 0:01:49so you're trapped in this body that's just not working.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51And she lives with the knowledge
0:01:51 > 0:01:54that the next relapse may be one she doesn't recover from -
0:01:54 > 0:01:58something that is distressing for any mother to contemplate.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Will I always be able to walk them to school?
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Will I be able to drive?
0:02:05 > 0:02:09When they graduate or get married...
0:02:09 > 0:02:12All the special things that you want to see...
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I don't know what my future holds
0:02:16 > 0:02:20so I just have to be grateful for every day with them.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26When I was diagnosed, I'd barely heard of MS.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29But in the UK, 100,000 people live with the uncertainty
0:02:29 > 0:02:31of this long-term condition.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35And MS has a profound effect on at least two million people -
0:02:35 > 0:02:38the family, the friends and the carers of those with MS.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40A diagnosis can easily leave you
0:02:40 > 0:02:43feeling like you're out there on your own.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45That's why the MS Society is there,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48fighting to help people with MS keep control of their lives.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Lynsey Page is the proud mother of four-year-old Alba.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59She's aware that MS can add to the usual challenges of motherhood.
0:02:59 > 0:03:07When a relapse hits, the simple things are no longer simple.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11I've seen myself go from being fairly able,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14dotting about the kitchen, to sitting on the floor
0:03:14 > 0:03:17cos it comes on so quickly.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19It's devastating when that happens.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23To explain to your daughter that Mummy has to have a sit down,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Mummy can't take you to the park today...
0:03:27 > 0:03:29When a relapse is in full swing,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31the emotional pressure can become unbearable.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35And inevitably, those closest sometimes take the strain.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39It's like a volcano.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44It'll build up and build up and build up and then all of a sudden,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47my husband has got this explosion to deal with,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50of tears and anger.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52That's the hidden part about MS.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56You don't see how much a person can be struggling underneath.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Learning to adapt can be a real challenge.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Thankfully, the MS Society understands the pressures
0:04:03 > 0:04:04you find yourself under.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07And that's why they offer a whole range of services to help -
0:04:07 > 0:04:09from a freephone helpline
0:04:09 > 0:04:12to a network of hundreds of branches around the UK.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Drop-in centres, like this one in Bromley, offer a unique setting
0:04:18 > 0:04:21for people with MS to get support -
0:04:21 > 0:04:23especially as the condition progresses,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26when being active can become difficult.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35These centres are absolute lifelines for people with MS,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37their families and carers.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40People say it's a unique place for them to come to,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43to share experiences with people just like them.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And they find this important, and a way in which
0:04:46 > 0:04:50they feel they're putting less pressure on their families.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55The charity is also one of the world's foremost
0:04:55 > 0:04:59not-for-profit funders of research to find a cure for MS.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05We want to see an end to MS - a world free of its effects.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Until we arrive at that point, we will do all we can
0:05:09 > 0:05:14to provide the support, the help and the friendship to people with MS,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16making sure that they know
0:05:16 > 0:05:19they do not have to face this awful condition alone.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25I did spend lots of time feeling that
0:05:25 > 0:05:27I really needed to talk to somebody.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I needed to talk to my mum, my sister and...
0:05:30 > 0:05:34so I used to...go to them and cry,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37then I could see the terror in their eyes
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and I used to think, "This is horrible. I shouldn't...
0:05:40 > 0:05:44"I feel guilty about trying to talk to them about it,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47"because they're obviously upset about it as well."
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Fortunately, the MS Society has counsellors, who know that sometimes
0:05:52 > 0:05:56it's important to be able to offload to someone outside the family.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Finding the MS Helpline was excellent.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05I could phone that number, speak to a stranger, offload,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08have my tears, have my rant,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10put the phone down and feel better.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13With her strength deteriorating,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Lynsey found that it was getting harder
0:06:15 > 0:06:18to keep up with her growing daughter Alba.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Again, the MS Society was able to make life easier,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25with a grant for a mobility scooter.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Without the MS Society having the grant system in place,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I don't even want to imagine what my life would have been like.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37I think it would've been pretty easy to slip into quite a dark place.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41'Alba and my scooter have their own love affair.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46'She loves the freedom that it allows me to have with her.'
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Lynsey's husband had given up work to care for her and Alba.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53That meant the family couldn't afford holidays.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57But an MS Society grant made it possible for them
0:06:57 > 0:07:02to experience a necessary respite from the daily challenges of MS.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04It was like winning the lottery.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06You get a holiday from your day-to-day worries,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09your struggles against...
0:07:09 > 0:07:12just trying to live a normal life.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16And when you come back from holiday, it's not so hard.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Everything just seems a little bit easier.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24There is a way that you can really make a difference to people
0:07:24 > 0:07:27who are living with multiple sclerosis.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30The MS Society is the leading UK charity for people with MS.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Whether it's the helpline,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35the 300 local branches bringing people together,
0:07:35 > 0:07:36grants for family breaks
0:07:36 > 0:07:40or their support for groundbreaking research to find a cure,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44you can help them to carry on this vital work.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Please go to the website...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50..to find out where to donate.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53If you haven't got internet access, please call...
0:07:55 > 0:07:59If you can't get through the first time, please, please keep trying.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01You can also donate £10 by texting...
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Texts cost £10, plus your
0:08:07 > 0:08:09standard network message charge.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10And the whole £10
0:08:10 > 0:08:12goes to the MS Society.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13Full terms and conditions
0:08:13 > 0:08:17can be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Telephone calls are free
0:08:19 > 0:08:20from most landlines.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Some networks and mobile operators
0:08:22 > 0:08:24will charge for these calls.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28please make your cheque payable to
0:08:28 > 0:08:29the Multiple Sclerosis Society
0:08:29 > 0:08:31and send it to...
0:08:33 > 0:08:34..writing "MS Society"
0:08:34 > 0:08:36on the back of the envelope.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38And if you want the charity to claim
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Gift Aid on your donation, please
0:08:39 > 0:08:41include an e-mail or postal address
0:08:41 > 0:08:43so they can send you
0:08:43 > 0:08:44a Gift Aid form.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Thank you.