Hope for people with MS: Belynda and James raise awareness for the condition

HUNDLETON student Belynda Galliard and Chester-based James Martin are on a mission. They are determined to show people that MS (Multiple Sclerosis) need not prove the end of the world. Life, they argue, can be full of potential for those given the chance.

And so , to further their cause Belynda , who will soon commence an MA in Film and Drama, and family friend James, a musician and a recent graduate in Media Studies, are currently producing a video to help everyone adopt a more positive approach to life with MS.

MS is the most common condition of the central nervous system affecting young adults. Over 100,000 people in the UK have MS which is about one in every 600. It is nearly three times more common in women than in men. Most people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s, but it can be diagnosed in younger and older people.

But Belynda and James are not motivated by bald statistics .

“I have just started my own media company called Blue Dynasty Media , ” James explained . “I knew that I would have to begin by doing projects for free to show people what I can do . I initially thought I would do something like a music video. But then I thought, if I am going to be doing it for free , I might as well try and do something that makes a difference instead of simply helping a corporate client who really should be paying for what I do .

“And then I spoke to Liz, a family friend who suffers from MS. I didn’t realise she had MS at first because it was not very noticeable. I didn’t appreciate at the time that this disease affects people differently. This led to do some research which in turn prompted me to produce this film for the MS Society . ”

Belynda’s contact is much closer to home. She has a mother who suffers from MS. She explained: “The MS society recently did an employment survey and I found it interesting because I discovered that lots of people have had good careers. Liz’s husband was a journalist for example, and it made me think that with a little bit more understanding and support from his employer , he would have been able to continue working much longer than he did.

“When my mum discovered she had MS her employer basically said ‘Well that’s that. I’m giving your job to someone else’. He was convinced that she would soon be in a wheelchair but she simply needed some help with her fatigue levels. We want to educate and inspire people like that .”

Belynda and James have received no funding to date and are meeting all the expenses incurred from their own resources, which is why they are very keen to meet and interview anyone who willing to talk about their experiences and offer hope to those who are scared as to what a diagnosis might mean.

As Belynda explained: “We need people with inspirational stories to get involved as soon as possible and once the video is complete , we want to share it as widely as possibly. It won’t matter how good it is if no one sees it.”

James added: “We have discovered that MS society, like other organisations ,

needs to look at the way it shares its information. We have discovered ,

for example, that the society has hubs all around the country but they are often not aware of what other groups are doing. We are keen to create an environment in which they communicate with each other.

“There is a Facebook page , for example, but we need to encourage the different hubs to use it more . The content can be improved too. We are hoping this initiative will inspire them to use their resources in a more effective way .”

As for success, Belynda believes 100,000 views o n line is not an impossible target and she says they would be thrilled if it were shared further afield, such as in the US , for example.

“Given the way we can share information today, the sky’s the limit , ” she added. “And the tone is the key to our approach. Lots of campaign videos and appeals follow the same format. They are a little dated. We are determined to highlight the positives. It’s not a case of feel sorry for me but give me a chance!”

For more information contact Belynda: [email protected] or James : [email protected].