Student ‘makes the most of it’ to give the lowdown on life with MS
A student’s honest account of how she lives with multiple sclerosis and continues to embrace her passion for running takes centre stage at a university degree show this week.
Kate Charter, who is studying for an MA in motion graphics at Edinburgh’s Napier University, has produced a short film called Running with Helen which sees the 29- year-old reflect on her own diagnosis along with speaking to others about their own experiences with the condition.
A number of these short clips feature in her degree show film, with Ms Charter naming her multiple sclerosis (MS) Helen – a separation that helps her accept the condition and remain true to herself.
Multiple sclerosis is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential sympto ms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
Despite this – as the title of the film suggests – Ms Charter has continued to embrace her passion for running and has even formed an Edinburgh MS Runners group which meets regularly for casual runs at locations across the city.
Ms Charter started running when she moved to Edinburgh in 2008 to begin her university studies and soon caught the running bug. She completed her first marathon in 2009 along with half marathons, 10ks and mud runs in between.
It was during marathon training with her friend Katie in 2015 that Ms Charter was forced to go to the doctor after showing symptoms of MS.
After recovering from her initial diagnosis, she was desperate to re-join Katie and started accompanying her for the last couple of miles of her training runs on her bike.
She said: “I’ve always filmed a lot of stuff in my life and I’ve always made highlight films at the end of each year.
“It felt natural to film myself running after I was diagnosed.
“I’ve been wondering what to do with the clips and I grappled with using MS as a subject for my major project. I usually don’t talk about it much as I thought it might get me down.
“However, that also implied that I should, because there was a problem that needed fixed – and as an MS filmmaker and animator, I might be able to do something about it.”
She added :“For the film, I wanted to add a voice that talked about MS in an honest way, to try and give people a realistic, everyday account of one person’s life with MS. I hope it leaves Msers and non-MSers knowing life is pretty good and you never know what it’s going to throw at you so you might as well make the most it while you can.”