A Leeds man has vowed to help families affected by a "cruel" disease following the death of his wife.
Mum-of-two Susie Hamlin, from Roundhay, died after battling motor neurone disease (MND) in 2018. Susie, who "loved" being a senior dietitian on the liver transplant unit at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, left behind her husband John and two children Millie and Harry.
Her "gorgeous" son and daughter were just eight and 13 years old at the time of her death - which left the family "devastated" that Susie was unable to see her children grow up. This year, John, who is also a doctor, and Susie would have celebrated 20 years since they got married.
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John, 53, said: "She was fit, healthy and incredibly happy, as you can see in the picture. She was a senior dietitian, a job she loved, and had just completed her MSc with distinction. Even more importantly to her she was a mum to two gorgeous kids, a wife, a sister and a friend to many.
"In 2015 she completed her first marathon. Six months later Susie noticed that her speech was becoming slurred, the first signs for her of the onset of bulbar motor neurone disease. MND is a cruel and poorly understood condition, robbing people of their independence and ultimately their lives whilst impacting families and friends hugely."
Speaking to Leeds Teaching Hospitals, he added: "I watched the person I loved most being robbed of her independence and ultimately her life. Susie put her friends and family first and was absolutely devastated that she wasn’t going to get the chance to watch our children grow up.
"I have been totally in awe of Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir, who have both bravely shared their experience of living with MND, and wanted to contribute to their phenomenal fundraising efforts while marking two very special occasions."
To mark his late wife's 50th birthday, and their 20th wedding anniversary, John will be running 165 miles. He will be taking on a "gruelling" challenge for Leeds Teaching Hospitals' Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Appeal and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
The 53-year-old will honour Susie's love for running by starting from Melrose Rugby Club in Scotland on Friday September 9. He will run all the way to Headingley, on the eve of what would have been Susie’s 50th birthday.
Susie was a proud Scot who encouraged their children to support the Scottish rugby team despite the family living in Leeds. The start and finish points of the run have been chosen to link the two areas and to acknowledge the rugby legends, Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow who have done so much to raise awareness of MND.
John has already raised an extraordinary £13,760.00 for both charities, before even starting his challenge. He hopes to raise a further £20,000 with this challenge. So far, he has raised over £17,000.
Paul Watkins, Director of Fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity told us about the difference fundraisers like John make: "John really has gone above and beyond with his fundraising efforts and I’m sure his wife Susie would be beaming with pride. It’s thanks to dedicated fundraisers like John that our Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease appeal has almost raised £2.5 million, helping us get even closer to making this wonderful centre for people living with MND and their loved ones a reality."
My Name’5 Doddie Foundation CEO Jill Douglas said: "What a tremendous effort from John, he is just inspiring. His support for the Foundation is greatly appreciated as we continue to work towards finding effective treatments for motor neuron disease and help people living with MND."
"The number of amazing people who are currently taking on challenges to raise funds and awareness for the Foundation is quite something. The MND community is filled with very special people like John who are doing extraordinary things to give hope to anyone with an MND diagnosis."
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