Maggie was diagnosed with MS in 2000 – sadly a condition which runs in her family with two of her uncles suffering from it. For those who don’t know, Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and is more common in women. The condition can cause a loss of balance, fatigue and muscle cramps. Maggie visited her neurologist last May and was told that she needed to lose weight, and this is when she started going to YMCA Woodlands in Abbots Langley. “I started going up on my own and didn’t know what I was doing. “I saw Paul at the gym and plucked up the courage to approach him. I signed up for 35 sessions with him in November despite not really being able to afford it, but I wanted to do it.” It wasn’t all plain sailing for Maggie though, as after the first month of sessions she had not lost any weight, but had lost inches around her waist. The next month was just as hard when Maggie caught an infection which set her back on her training. Despite this, Maggie had lost half a stone and was on a long road to a healthier life. The mother of two was asked to keep a food diary by Paul, and whenever she went out for a meal she would tell Paul where the restaurant was and he would recommend what to eat from the menu. “He wasn’t being bossy, he was just giving advice.” Maggie lost another 13 pounds in two weeks, which brings her total to a stone and a half in just a few months. The motivational text messages are a big part of Maggie’s training and she has been amazed by Paul’s dedication to helping her improve her health. “I sometimes ask Paul why he takes such an interest in me. He doesn’t have to, but it keeps you going and he even rings me up in the evening just to see how things are.” The exercise and training has certainly meant that Maggie can spend more time with children, Lindsay and Sean (both in their teens), as there was a time when Maggie would have to go straight to bed after work because of her fatigue. Wife of Don, Maggie now hopes to use her new found energy to complete the Sport Relief Mile and the Peace Hospice Moonlight Walk in June. She certainly has a long way to go and still gets a lot of pain in her back and her hands, but she admits that Paul has had a massive impact on her life. “I absolutely love my husband and I praise him all the time, but if there was one thing I could do in my life it would be something to thank Paul. “My husband, Don, says I am like a completely different person.” Maggie goes back to her neurologist in May and is hoping that he will be just as impressed with her progress as she and her family have been. “I know I’ve got a long way to go and I blame a lot of things on the MS, but at the moment I have so much energy I just want to keep it going.”