Paralympian and I'm a Celebrity star Kadeena Cox MBE has shown her support for a local cyclist ahead of a huge 24-hour continuous ride.

On Friday 28th January Helen Napier, 51, based at Manaccan on the Lizard will begin the non-stop cycle in honour of her sister, Sarah, who lives with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS).

Sarah has lived with MS for over 20 years having been diagnosed in her early 30s when she was experiencing forgetfulness and sight problems.

Since then, Sarah's condition has developed to secondary progressive MS meaning there are no treatment options available for the mum-of-two.

Over 130,000 people live with MS in the UK. It damages nerves in your body and makes it harder to do everyday things, like walk, talk, eat and think.

Helen said:

"Sarah has problems with her left leg and uses a stick to get about. She also gets really tired and struggles with swallowing and vomiting. She has severe depression as a result of her condition.

"It's frustrating for Sarah that there aren't any treatments available for her as she would try anything. It's horrendous to watch a loved one going through what Sarah is going through. I don't know how she wakes up every morning. That's why I want to raise money for the MS Society to help them deliver their services, support and research into new treatments."

Helen only took up cycling in January 2021 when she gave up drinking and decided to take on a challenge just 3 months ago to mark her 1 year of sobriety and do something to help her sister.

Helen continues:

"I suffer from depression and used to drink heavily to self-medicate, but when I turned 50 I wanted to make a change. My husband was already a keen road cyclist and kept nagging me to try it – so I stopped drinking and replaced one thing with another. I got the bug as soon as I started.

"It's going to be a huge challenge to cycle 24 hours straight. Saddle sores and losing feeling in my hands and fingers could be a big problem.

"I've cycled over 3,000 miles since the beginning of November in training rides and many fellow cyclists have suggested I need more rest and recovery days. My response is always - my sister doesn't get rest or recovery days from MS, she has to carry on. This is the only way I can think of getting a small glimpse into the pain and fatigue Sarah and others living with MS face every day."

Paralympic gold medallist and MS Society Ambassador Kadeena Cox has offered the following words of encouragement to Helen. She commented:

"It's so inspiring to hear how Helen has turned her life around and found a love for cycling. I wish her every success in her 24-hour non-stop ride and I hope that people will donate to the MS Society as it's such an important cause. Helen – together with the MS community we're right behind you encouraging you to smash this challenge."

Click here to make a donation and find out more.

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter below to get the top 10 Helston stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Friday! No click-bait. No intrusive ads. Just news about Helston.

Carry on the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages. [.B]