An Angus man will climb Bodmin Moor to raise awareness of an auto-immune disease which has affected his family.
Geoff Bray, regional volunteer for the PBC Foundation, will climb to the summit of the granite moorland in Cumbria with the charity’s volunteers and members on September 23.
PBC – Primary Biliary Cholangitis – is an auto-immune disease affecting the liver function and the most common medication was first identified in abundance in Polar Bears.
Mr Bray, who lives in Forfar, said: “PBC is an auto-immune disease which causes blockage of the bile ducts in the liver.
“The cause of this is as yet not fully understood, hence there is as yet no cure.
“The effects and symptoms can however be controlled to a reasonable level, by means of an acidic compound, which prevents the blocking of the bile duct.
“Symptoms range from itching anywhere on the body, severe fatigue forcing the sufferer to lie down or go to bed, various other digestive complaints and aching joints, exacerbated if the sufferer also suffers arthritis.”
Mr Bray said it affects mainly women, with a very small proportion of men becoming victim.
He said the condition can present itself from the age of 20 and is not associated with the menopause.
“I first became involved in the late 1990s, when my wife who had been ill for some time, was being treated for a variety of ills, the medications all having adverse affects,” he said.
“Finally, a rheumatologist considered a problem with the liver and, after a liver biopsy and other tests carried out at Ninewells, identified PBC as the cause.
“Ursofalk was prescribed and eventually the symptoms subsided, but not taking the required dose will result in rapid return of symptoms.
“We attended several information and self-help workshops in Dublin, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, to learn more about the causes and how to help manage the affects, and I decided to devote some time and energy in assisting in the continuance of the aims and work of the Foundation, as the regional volunteer for Angus.”
Mr Bray undertakes many fundraising exercises including selling firewood and even a sponsored tattoo on the back of his head.
“In extreme cases, liver transplant may be the only option, but this does not guarantee a non-recurrence with the new liver, since the condition is auto-immune in origin,” he said.
“Extensive research is taking place in Cambridge and Newcastle to identify the causes and hence hopefully, a means of turning off the auto-immune trigger.”
The Brown Willy Walk at Bodmin Moor will be undertaken on September 23 and Mr Bray has set up a Just Giving page for people to donate.
Robert Mitchell-Thain, the PBC development officer, will take on Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis in three days.
