Volunteering with Mutual Support has improved my outlook on life

I’m an RAF veteran who served as a Senior Avionic Supervisor carrying out in-depth modifications and servicing on the Harrier GR7/GR9, and then the Typhoon aircraft. I joined up in 2000 and I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in 2008. My first symptoms included sudden vision problems. This led to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and a lumbar puncture, which confirmed I had MS. 

Over 16 years, I’ve been prescribed Avonex, Tecfidera, teriflunomide, fingolimod and Brabio. Now I’m on six monthly ocrelizumab infusions. Even after my diagnosis, I remained positive and determined to achieve my career aspiration of completing at least 22 years of service. Due to my physical mobility problems, I was medically discharged from the RAF in December 2023. I’ve no regrets from my 23 and a half years where I worked with so many great people. 

Since I left the RAF, my two young sons, Jack and Matthew, have been keeping me busy. But I’m also looking for another job. I do what I can around the house to help out my wife, Sarah, who I’ve been married to since 2008.

Meeting the Mutual Support group

I found out about Mutual Support through my own research on the internet. The breakthrough came when I chatted to two of the volunteers as I was going through the RAF Medical Board in 2008. The Board decides on the future career of serving personnel with a long-term condition like MS. My family and I had some questions we desperately needed answers to, but none of my military contacts had the time or knowledge to investigate them on my behalf. The volunteers, Heather and Roger, offered answers and advice through their own lived experience, which was invaluable. 

Mutual Support was founded to provide support for military personnel, veterans and their dependants living with MS. The group hails from the military and serves the military family, and we were winners of the 2023 Soldiering on Awards for Family Values. The need for a national support group is clear. Although there are many MS groups, none fully understands the specific consequences an MS diagnosis can have for military personnel. It may mean leaving the service and losing social, family and professional inclusion within the military institution. Mutual Support restores the opportunity for people and their families to experience military-level support, care, love — and gallows humour.  

We currently have 1,179 members, 530 of whom have MS. The group’s run wholly by volunteers who retain the enthusiasm, dedication and good humour from their military backgrounds. 

This is my first time volunteering as a committee member. I’m hoping to raise awareness of Mutual Support to current serving personnel and veterans, and to highlight the fantastic support and advice our group can offer.

Staying connected is empowering

It's incredibly important that our members with MS keep in touch with other members of the services. The mobility issues MS can cause can make someone feel very isolated. People with such a life-changing condition can shy away from contact, so having a group with an Armed Forces background and a connection to MS is empowering. 

We offer support from our group’s Coordinating Team, a dedicated and trained Support Team and a Clinical Psychologist. We signpost services and provide online forums and activities. And we send out quarterly information newsletters. 

We host wellbeing weekends twice a year, so our new and existing members can access empathetic, knowledgeable support and informative talks from specialist speakers. These weekends are fully funded by grants from many service and veteran charities, as well as through fundraising and individual donations. We work with certified venues and agencies to make sure our services are delivered professionally. And we retain the military ethos and atmosphere that our members request and enjoy. 

The importance of lived experience

Being able to talk about my own determination and positivity while living with MS is empowering. I’ve met so many helpful people who’ve given me some great advice and tips on where to find information. I’ve also had the chance to meet others whose MS has progressed and I’ve realised how different it can be from person to person.

My favourite thing about volunteering is connecting with people online and over the phone to discuss our daily challenges and how we’ve overcome them or adapted. Our own lived experiences mean we can signpost others to help they may not have realised is available to them.

Find out more about Mutual Support