I've got MS on the run, says Gemma as she takes on 12 races in 12 cities

The 28-year-old from Wednesbury, who suffers from the condition that affects her movement, is going to raise £500 for the MS Society, the charity dedicated to fighting for improved care and treatment for people with MS.

Her diagnosis with the condition prompted her to adopt a fitter and healthier lifestyle.

Now she will complete a 5km run in each city, starting this Saturday (January 10) when she will take part in the Great Winter Run in Edinburgh before completing runs in Cardiff, London and Bristol among the other cities, with her last run to be a homecoming in Birmingham in December.

She said: "I started running at first to raise a bit of money, but then I did a bit of research and found out that the benefits of running were really positive for people with MS. It helps with cognitive function, mobility and helps to tackle depression and anxiety so it inspired me to pass the message on to other people that exercise is really good for people with MS and maybe raise some funds."

The Forge Street resident was diagnosed in 2013 after an onslaught of health problems which left her jobless and isolated.

Some of the problems encountered included double vision, intense migraines, fatigue, depression and 6 nerve palsy and she learned that her optic nerve was damaged and would never properly recover.

While the difference in her vision is marginal, she is aware that every time she has a relapse, there is a chance that permanent nerve damage could occur.

Initially scared and overwhelmed, it took Gemma several months to adjust to the reality that she had a very serious illness.

"As I learned more about the disease I realised that there is no pattern to the illness, it could strike at any time, it's unpredictable, it can affect any part of my body and there is nothing I can do about it," she said.

"I thought about my life and how I had taken my health for granted and decided that there was something I could do. I could make myself as fit and healthy as possible and that whatever happened after that I could deal with because as long as I know I have done everything I can, that is all I can do. "

She downloaded a training plan and put it on her wall, which she stuck to for 12 weeks, ticking off each run and bought herself new running gear. However, the training regime was hard with her condition.

She added: "There were days when I literally had to drag myself out, fatigued and with a headache, it was difficult, it was very difficult, but slowly I got fitter and healthier and over the weeks that followed I felt stronger both physically and mentally, my confidence grew, my anxiety was less frequent and I started to feel like me again, I started to feel happy that I was not only helping myself but doing something worthwhile to help others in my position or much worse."

The former Wood Green High School pupil has also been motivated to develop her own creative business Jurassic Panda and under this name she designs t-shirts, mugs, cards, jewellery and more.

She needs help with lifts, train fares between cities and sponsorship for her 12 runs. To sponsor her visit www.justgiving.com/GHotchkiss.