Linda Campbell
Linda Campbell
Linda's made it her mission to raise funds through online auctions to enable experts to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
Method of fundraising
Online auctions through the dedicated Facebook page 'MS Auctions'Why did you decide to fundraise?
I’m Linda, housewife and mother of 4, and somewhat obsessed with raising funds for research into a cure for MS!
I am driven to this because my lovely son was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was just 15 years old. He’d been a healthy and active teenager to that point, yet MS selected him at random one night as he slept in bed causing him to wake with numbness and double vision. No doubt there is a more scientific explanation, but the bottom line of it is that MS picked a fight with my son; therefore, it has picked a fight with me, and I WILL WIN, because once a Mum; always a Mum!
My son is now 27 and his life has so cruelly changed. Instead of his calendar being plastered with social engagements it is filled with an endless string of medical appointments. Despite on-going medication, he is in constant pain and anguish. There is no way I can sit back and watch this happen.
If I were a scientist I’d work 24/7 to find a cure, but I’m not that clever. Therefore, it is my mission to raise funds to enable the people who do have those special skills to work on finding the cure for MS which is so badly needed by my son; 11,000 others in Scotland; 100,000 in the UK and 2,500,000 in the world.
While we have also done some other fundraising for our own projects we believe in being outward looking and being part of a larger community so we are delighted to raise money this year at our Wimbledon-themed friendly tennis tournament at Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, for the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research and Bobath Scotland.
I am driven to this because my lovely son was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was just 15 years old. He’d been a healthy and active teenager to that point, yet MS selected him at random one night as he slept in bed causing him to wake with numbness and double vision. No doubt there is a more scientific explanation, but the bottom line of it is that MS picked a fight with my son; therefore, it has picked a fight with me, and I WILL WIN, because once a Mum; always a Mum!
My son is now 27 and his life has so cruelly changed. Instead of his calendar being plastered with social engagements it is filled with an endless string of medical appointments. Despite on-going medication, he is in constant pain and anguish. There is no way I can sit back and watch this happen.
If I were a scientist I’d work 24/7 to find a cure, but I’m not that clever. Therefore, it is my mission to raise funds to enable the people who do have those special skills to work on finding the cure for MS which is so badly needed by my son; 11,000 others in Scotland; 100,000 in the UK and 2,500,000 in the world.
While we have also done some other fundraising for our own projects we believe in being outward looking and being part of a larger community so we are delighted to raise money this year at our Wimbledon-themed friendly tennis tournament at Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, for the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research and Bobath Scotland.
How did you raise the money?
Initially, I began raising funds for another MS charity - raising £25,500 from March 2015 to March 2017 by auctioning donated ‘deals’ through my dedicated Facebook page: ‘MS Auctions’ (www.facebook.com/MSAuctionsLDC). However, I have been particularly impressed by the work of the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, and I am delighted that they have welcomed me so warmly as a voluntary fundraiser to raise funds specifically to fund research into a cure for MS.
I spend all day every day raising funds and awareness, even in the evenings and into the small hours of the morning. My auctions are active on Facebook every day from March to May/June and again from October to December for the ‘Merry ChristMS’ auctions. The rest of the year I appeal to businesses to donate goods/services/vouchers/accommodation deals for me to auction in exchange for my 5-day written and photographic promotion on Facebook.
I also do supermarket collections and have arranged for a local restaurant to have a collecting can on their counter top.
There are no words to adequately express my gratitude for the support I receive from my donors and bidders. To understand how grateful I am you would need to step into my shoes. Imagine that this was YOUR son/daughter who was in constant pain and anguish with an incurable disease – every single penny is a step closer to making a difference and changing lives.
It is my aim to raise £10,000 every year with the help of my supporters and bidders. So, if you can help me to 'fight the fight for those who have run out of ammunition' please get in touch, either as a donor, as a bidder, or both – even sharing my Facebook posts will make a significant difference.
We need a cure for MS and we need it FAST!
I spend all day every day raising funds and awareness, even in the evenings and into the small hours of the morning. My auctions are active on Facebook every day from March to May/June and again from October to December for the ‘Merry ChristMS’ auctions. The rest of the year I appeal to businesses to donate goods/services/vouchers/accommodation deals for me to auction in exchange for my 5-day written and photographic promotion on Facebook.
I also do supermarket collections and have arranged for a local restaurant to have a collecting can on their counter top.
There are no words to adequately express my gratitude for the support I receive from my donors and bidders. To understand how grateful I am you would need to step into my shoes. Imagine that this was YOUR son/daughter who was in constant pain and anguish with an incurable disease – every single penny is a step closer to making a difference and changing lives.
It is my aim to raise £10,000 every year with the help of my supporters and bidders. So, if you can help me to 'fight the fight for those who have run out of ammunition' please get in touch, either as a donor, as a bidder, or both – even sharing my Facebook posts will make a significant difference.
We need a cure for MS and we need it FAST!
Fundraising wisdom:
‘MS Auctions’ works beautifully - based on kindness, honesty, trust and gratitude. The secret of success is APPRECIATION in my opinion. ALWAYS tell your supporters how much you appreciate them and explain to them the difference that they have made. I like to quantify this by telling them how many minutes of research time their contribution has funded and that those minutes could be the very minutes when a cure is found.
