My Story

In late 2021, I took a severe autoimmune reaction to “medication” which left my body wracked with seronegative reactive arthritis. The arthritis aggressively attacked every single joint in my body, from my jaw all the way down to my toes. My hands were like claws and joints from my wrists and elbows to my knees and toes were swollen and inflamed.

The disease left me unable to do many basic things. I couldn’t walk very far or hold the dog lead. Even lifting shopping bags or washing in the shower presented challenges. Going to music concerts (one of my great passions) was difficult, as was attending football matches with my sons. Driving to work in Glasgow left me stiff and in considerable pain and changes at work were required as I could no longer safely carry out operational duties. At its worst, Kirsteen had to put my socks on for me and a then 15 year old Ewan had to lift me off the couch when I got stuck! There were many fairly humiliating moments caused by the condition at home, work and on holiday. One of the biggest issues was being unable to exercise in any way, which of course, brought its own health risks.

After 2 years of trial and error and stop-gap steroid injections that allowed short-term relief, my rheumatologist (who has been wonderful throughout) eventually found the right medication, which I now inject into myself on a weekly basis. It’s literally a poison that causes a day or so of horrible side effects… but it slowly controlled the disease and gave me my life back.

Some of my joints will never be perfect again but over the last year, the medication has allowed me to exercise properly, supported and encouraged by Kirsteen. I am slowly building back some muscle tone (which was largely lost) and cardiovascular fitness is improving considerably every week. Even sleep is so much better and the rheumatologist is now gradually reducing my medication to see how my body reacts. So far… so good! There is light at the end of the tunnel after 3-4 years of one step forward and two back and I have genuine hopes of a return to full operational duties at work sooner rather than later.

However, to really judge where my recovery is, I need to challenge myself. Realistically, my joints won’t allow me to run again, so a walking challenge is the next best starting point.  It’s not a great challenge to most people… but for me, walking several miles still causes discomfort.

So… on the evening of Friday 13th February at 2230hrs, I will be taking on a 10k 'Red, Night and Blue' midnight walking challenge around the track at Ibrox Stadium, the home of Rangers Football Club. My son Ewan will be joining me. It’s 25 laps of a flat course on a soft track, which makes it easier on my joints and will help to provide a good indication of where I am in terms of recovery and will help to dictate the next steps.

Like many of these events, I have agreed to raise at least £100, with all sponsorship money going to the Rangers Charity Foundation, allowing them to tackle inequalities and creating opportunities for people of all ages to change their lives for the better.

Throughout the last 4 years, despite the pain and occasions of feeling sorry for myself, I always tried to remain grounded and never lost sight of the fact that compared to people suffering terminal and life threatening conditions, I was and still am an incredibly fortunate man. But I also have to acknowledge the life changing effect the disease had, and continues to have, on my body and the wider effect on Kirsteen, Ewan and Gavin. 

I totally understand that compared to running the London Marathon or climbing Everest, this is barely a challenge but for me, it’s an important milestone in recovery from an aggressive disease that changed life considerably for almost four years and still causes the occasional challenge or two. Any support and sponsorship you can offer, no matter how small, will be gratefully received and so very much appreciated.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this.