04/01/2026 'The luckiest man on the face of the Earth' by David

I've just send the blog to Alice for spell checking and grammar and I said to her that there isn't much about me and MND. I then tried to get up to go to the toilet and I dropped the TV remote, the electric fire remote, my phone, and my coffee cup, all in succession. I think that says more about me than a hundred word paragraph.

Christmas and New Year bank holidays are perfect opportunities to get together with family and friends to celebrate, but the holiday season can also be a time for reflection.

This January marks three years since what I like to call my 'Theory Of Everything' moment, when I fell while out training for the Brighton marathon. Just like Stephen Hawking's fall (played by Eddie Redmayne) in the dramatisation of his life with Motor Neurone Disease, I hit the ground so quickly that I didn't put my arms out to break my fall, and consequently broke my glasses, and suffered a bad cut above my right eye. 

When I was diagnosed 6 months later after extensive tests at the age of 57, I was told that the average life expectancy was between 2 and 5 years, so I was at that time, unsure if I would make it to 60.

Well, despite the fact that I can no longer walk, and that my hands are very weak, I'm still eating, talking, and enjoying life as my 60th birthday approaches, and I plan to be around for at least one more summer too.

This Christmas I was lucky enough to have my daughters, Rachel and Anna, staying with us and along with Alice and my stepson Fin, we had a lovely time eating, drinking, laughing, watching films, and playing lots of games - a perfect Christmas! 

After his ALS diagnosis, Lou Gehrig the baseball star of the 1920's and 30's, famously said "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I might have been given a bad break but I've got an awful lot to live for."  It may sound strange for someone coming to terms with a terminal illness to consider themselves lucky, but being in that same position, I now know exactly how he felt. 

I have been shown nothing but kindness and support from everyone, and with my family and friends around me, I feel thankful, grateful, and yes, lucky. I have the opportunity to tick off my bucket list items, enjoy every sunrise with a different perspective, and tell my loved ones how I'm feeling, and how much they mean to me. I constantly tell Alice that all I want from now on is to be warm and to be loved, and I'm glad to say that I feel the warmth and love from everyone around me.

Following his forced retirement, Gehrig wrote "Don't think I am depressed or pessimistic about my condition at present. I intend to hold on as long as possible, and then if the inevitable comes, I will accept it philosophically and hope for the best, that's all we can do." I echo his words totally, and am optimistic of further good days. 

Christmas Eve was all about a teatime trip on the Polar Express with the girls in their new Cat In The Hat PJ's, and Fin was my little helper as the stockings were filled. 

We attended the Christmas Day parkrun at Southampton with Rachel and Anna and 1460 others in bright, clear but near freezing conditions. I was wrapped up like a Burrito according to Anna, who helped Alice push me around. Anna is in training for another TeamBaker marathon in 2026, details to follow. 

We came home to presents and I felt very spoiled. Anna had sponsored Benji for me, one of the Wildheart bears and gave me a book to accompany which had a painting of the bears on the Needles chairlift eating ice cream.

Rachel had knitted me some green and black mittens and Alice had framed my marathon medal. 

Teddy is still delighting and annoying us in equal measure. One day Alice calls him her babe, the next day he is a beast. I heard the familiar sound of crunching bones from my bed recently and when Alice came down, Teddy had left just a tail and one foot! 

Alice and I have been interviewed for a podcast called The So So show, a positive show especially for Southampton, which was exciting. The presenter Zoe stood around my recliner with a microphone, and Alice and I discussed my symptoms, how MND affects our lives, and our assisted running journey. We'll post the link on the MND Can Get In The Sea Facebook page when it's released.

I went to an intimate bookshop gig with a few mates last Saturday night, and it was a very pleasant evening. My friend Paul runs a bookshop in Cowes, on the island, and regularly hosts small gatherings for musicians, authors, artists and experts, and I've attended quite a few now. We went to hear the songs and stories of J.C. Carroll, member of punk/reggae band The Members, and writer of the 1979 classic Sound Of The Suburbs. There were probably 25 in the bookshop, but he said he was far more nervous playing to us, than to thousands. He was a great racontuer, and I came away with his book to read. 

Onto fundraising, my sister-in-law Vanessa, my nephew Isaac, and my friend Alex have signed up and started the Run 31 Miles In January for the MNDA, which I'm very grateful for. Isaac regularly runs parkrun but Vanessa is still working on the couch to 5k app

Alex never seems to stop walking or running for MND!

Thank you to my friend Helena for selling the knitted Christmas decorations that her mother in law had made for the MNDA. Teddy loves chasing the Christmas pudding around and catching it with his murder mittens. 

Thanks also to our Bristol running friend Kathryn for her kind donation to our JustGiving page. 

Alice and I would like to say a special thank you also to our friend Charlotte, who came to our house between Christmas and the new year to gift us to a personalised meditation, cacao, sound bath and Reiki session.

The mixture of sounds, singing, aromas and healing hands was relaxing, mesmerising and very uplifting. It was a real treat for both of us. 

And finally, thank you to our friend who texted Alice to say that as she cycled home from work up the very steep hill from the cycle track in Cowes to Newport road, it was me that inspired her not to stop, and that I carried her to the top! I then told her that I used to climb that hill every morning after my breakfast chef shift at the old Cowes Hotel on Arctic road. Well done Claudia! 

The temperature on new year's eve was -1° at midnight so we were very pleased to be warm in front of the fire, with the TV on. We had a curry and a couple of drinks, then we watched Jaws (which made Alice scream even though she knew what was coming) and stayed up for the fireworks from London.

2026 started with a perfect day. Alice got me up, shaved, showered, and dressed me, before making bacon sandwiches for breakfast.

We then caught up on Christmas telly while chomping on chocolate. I watched my team, Derby win, then we settled down for Eastenders and the Traitors before Alice put me back to bed, all snuggly buggly and happy. 

Happy new year to all x