BROMSGROVE is a town in Worcestershire, southwest of the Birmingham City Centre.
The unusual thing happened in this town when ex-police officer Chris Johnson managed to collect almost £50 million in the form of funds for taking out the research for the MND (Motor Neurone Disease). This terminal illness is said to be a ‘death sentence’ for most people, and the government’s expenditure towards the research for MND was as low as £5 million, which is not a sufficient amount to carry the research in this field. The cop took the campaign to Downing Street, where he successfully ran the campaign and managed to collect this huge funding amount.
Insight Into the Funding Campaign by Chris Johnson
The £50 million funding campaign gave a great boost to the funding research that lacks in the MND or Motor Neurone Disease. Chris Johnson, the former Police Chief from the West Midlands Police, ran this campaign successfully at Downing Street. For this funding campaign, he was joined by Rugby and Football stars like Doddie Weir, Rob Burrow, and Stephen Darby. The ex-cop has already drafted and delivered the letter to Number 10 in September this year, demanding the investment of nearly £50 million to back the research for MND for almost 5 years.
This open letter to the government cited this terminal illness as the ‘death sentence’ that needs to be researched, and the cure has to be found out. Hundreds of people battling with this condition signed the letter. The £50 million funding in this field will help in accelerating the research in this field. Chris is himself suffering from the MND condition that made the cop take the step in this direction. He is 54-years-old and was diagnosed with this terminal illness in September 2018, making him retire from the Police force in September 2020 after serving for almost 29 years.
Even the Leeds Rhinos’ former legendary player Rob Burrow also cited this funding amount to be a game-changer in the research and development of the MND. He was diagnosed with the same in December 2019. The star player supported the campaign with Chris Johnson. Bromsgrove City is known for standing for its heroes in every campaign or event, as most of them contribute to society in every manner. Here, most people are fans of football players and love to bet and play table games like Roulette on a website like Novibet.
Coming onto the contents of the letter that Johnson wrote to the government cited, “MND patients are fed up being told that the condition will get cured only after the development of the life-saving treatments. However, doctors tell them that this may take many years.”
Johnson was horrified to learn that 1 in 300 people encounter the MND condition and die a terrible death waiting for life-saving treatment.
To stop more horrifying deaths, this funding amount has come up like a ‘hope’ that will help the scientists fasten the research and turn this incurable condition into a curable one. MND is cited to
affect the brain and nerves that lead to the stopping of muscle functioning. Everyone is now looking forward to the disease becoming treatable with this funding amount within the coming five years. As many people die within two years of diagnosis only, Johnson stated that he still feels blessed to be around his family for another Christmas. However, the Department of Health and Social Care has now pledged £375 million for the research and treatment of the various types of neurodegenerative diseases.
