Guy organises Oban stem cell fundraising gig
AN OBAN musician is playing a gig next month to fundraise for stem cell therapy to treat his multiple sclerosis.
Twenty-three-year- old Guy Forteith was diagnosed with MS when he was aged 16 and is hoping to raise £20,000 towards the new treatment which he hopes will change his life.
‘I’ve had MS for seven years and it’s getting on my nerves. I’m just sick of it,’ he said.
‘I have problems with my vision, my balance and my walking. I have had all my teenage years ruined and this past year I have felt myself slowly but surely getting worse and worse. No matter how much I do to stay on top of it, the MS is always going to drag me down bit by bit.
‘I am tired of been laughed at and ques- tioned about my walking, or asked why I can’t read or see things, or even blamed for not recognising people in the street if they see me.’
To try to alleviate the symptoms, Guy has spent the past three years bodybuilding on a strict gym regime, and studying to become a personal trainer focusing on people with disabilities.
But ‘the disease isn’t going to go away’, he added, and stem cell therapy could offer hope for the future.
Stem cells can turn into almost any type of cell in the human body, and so have the potential to help many different conditions, including the neurodegenerative disease MS. Many research projects are under way to try to understand how these cells could be applied to the treatment of MS.
Guy said: ‘I have looked at a lot of studies and talked to people about stem cell therapy, but have recently had the chance to speak with the people who had the therapy, with some unbelievable and life- changing improvements.’
Guy, a singer/songwriter and sound engineer, plans to host many events to help raise funds for his treatment, publicised through his Facebook page, but the first gig titled ‘A Night of Music, Stem Cells for MS’ is set for October 22 at Cuan Mor, Oban.
Guy will be joined by Oban artists Nicky MacInnes, Shannon Taylor and Moonshine Maggie, with pianist Ralf Roeder flying in from Germany especially for the event. Tickets cost £7 at the door.