PhD student shares his story for Muscular Dystrophy Appeal

St John’s student Jonathan Gilmour will be raising awareness of muscular dystrophy for the BBC Lifeline appeal.

Jonathan Gilmour, final year PhD student at St John’s College, will be telling his story about living with muscular dystrophy and why funding for research into this condition is so important for the BBC Lifeline Appeal on Sunday 22 March.

BBC Lifeline will be hosted by Sue Barker, President of Muscular Dystrophy UK, and will feature an appeal by Jonathan. The ten-minute appeal programme, which works with charities to raise awareness of health conditions in the UK, will show the impact that muscle-wasting conditions can have on the lives of friends and family as well as the individual, encouraging viewers to donate so that the charity can continue to provide vital research and support. The programme will also feature seven year old Abbi Bennett who has Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy.

Jonathan, 28, who specialises in inter-faith studies and lives at St John’s with his assistance dog Uri, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a neuromuscular condition caused by the lack of the protein dystrophin, leading to the progressive deterioration of muscles; there are around 2,500 people in the UK who live with this condition. He was diagnosed at the age of seven, has been in a wheelchair since the age of 14, and needs help to carry out basic tasks such as eating, brushing his teeth, and even adjusting his glasses. He describes his effect of the condition on his body as being “like a car without petrol. My body struggles to get around.”

The award-winning academic has had to overcome many challenges to get where he is today, but he hasn’t let muscular dystrophy stop him from living his life. “Despite my condition, I can still do my PhD, enjoy music, enjoy going out with my friends,” Jonathan said. “There are lot of things I can do. My condition poses me difficulties. But I’m not defined by it.”

Muscular Dystrophy UK has provided Jonathan with support, information, and useful advice, which has allowed him to make the right decisions, and helped him feel that he is not alone and that other people care. “Their research is really important for the next generations, to stop them having to go through what I’ve gone through, to improve their quality of life and give them hope.”

The BBC Lifeline Appeal for Muscular Dystrophy will be broadcast on BBC One at 4.45pm on Sunday 22 March.  For more information about the appeal, and to find out how to donate to the charity, visit the Muscular Dystrophy website.