A SOLIHULL adventurer will journey up Mount Everest to raise money for a debilitating condition which killed a treasured friend.
Sabrina Griffith has set her sights on raising £4,000 in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association – a charity which campaigns and conducts research into the condition.
Her friend Frank Sparrow lost a three-year battle with MND on Christmas Eve last year.
Frank’s family have given Sabrina their blessing to undertake the fundraising mission which included a dress sale at Central England Specialist Referral Centre – where she works.
She raised nearly £1,000, selling the majority of over 400 dresses which were donated to her.
But her greatest mission will be making the 5,000 foot ascent to the base camp of the Nepali mountain – the tallest on earth.
Her JustGiving page has already inspired more than £1,200 in donations.
MND is a progressive disease which involves degeneration of the motor neurons and wasting of the muscles.
Sabrina says in 2014, Frank began to notice he had limited movement in his finger.
She says his wife and four children never imagined it was the start of a battle with an aggressive form of the condition.
It quickly spread to the rest of his body over the next 18 months.
Sabrina, of Acocks Green, said: “His family describes it as a wicked and cruel disease and with their blessing I want to raise awareness and some money in Frank’s memory.
“The money could fund a person with MND to participate in a clinical trial for a year with the goal of improving the future of MND sufferers and maybe even one day find a cure.
“It is not a common disease, general health and social care professionals may not see many cases of MND.
“More support and research is needed to support sufferers and their families.”
She is planning to travel to Nepal on October 6 but aims to complete various challenges as part of her training for the big event. She said: “My training will include four strength gym sessions a week supplemented with walking and running to build up
my overall fitness.
“This is going to be a tough challenge but with people’s support I will carry with me a special token of Frank all the way to base camp and hopefully raise lots of money in his memory.”
MND Association figures say there is a one in 300 risk of getting MND across a lifetime. It affects adults of any age, but is more likely to affect people over 50.
MND affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.
To donate go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sabrina-everest
