YEP Says: Extraordinary strength of a very ordinary Leeds family

most dads would go to the ends of the earth to give their daughters the wedding of their dreams.

But for Tim Thomson, that universal truth has taken on an added – and literal – poignancy.

As we write, Multiple Sclerosis sufferer Tim will have landed in Mexico, where he is due to undergo pioneering stem cell treatment which could help ensure that he will walk his daughter down the aisle.

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It was a story in these very pages, that of Kate Dawson, which alerted Tim and his family to the existence of the procedure, which – it must be noted – carries a high risk and is still being tested in the UK.

But what is most striking and inspiring about this mission – which also involves an effort to raise £60,000 to fund the treatment – is how a seemingly ordinary family has gone to extraordinary efforts to beat a devastating illness.

In typically modest and wry British fashion, Tim has called his online blog his ‘Mexican Adventure’. In it he is recording the day to day reality of life with MS and the family’s quest to beat it against all the odds.

We send Tim and his family the warmest of wishes and hopes for what will inevitably be an emotionally and financially taxing journey. And we look forward to the day that his and his daughter’s dream can be realised.

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As we watch our Olympic athletes in Rio perform feats of superhuman fitness, it is important to remember that we all have it within us to achieve the seemingly unachievable. Follow Tim’s journey on Facebook and in upcoming editions of the YEP.

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