Active father diagnosed with MS weeks after noticing limp while running ‘gets life back’ after public help him buy car

An active father-of-two who noticed he was limping during a run and was then diagnosed with multiple sclerosis just weeks later has said “every cloud has a silver lining” after members of the public helped him buy a car to “get (his) life back”.

Charlie Palmer, 52, a documentary photographer who lives on a barge at Limehouse Marina in London, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) – a condition which can affect the brain and spinal cord – in March 2021.

Prior to this, Charlie loved running and hiking, with friends calling him the “mountain goat” – but now, even simple tasks such as putting on socks or lifting pans in the kitchen can be a challenge.

Describing what led to his diagnosis, Charlie told PA Real Life: “I went for a run with my brother, and he said, ‘Bro, what’s up with your leg?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know’.

“I was limping and we tried to stretch it out, but it didn’t go away, it got worse.”

Weeks later Charlie was diagnosed with MS, which can cause a wide range of symptoms, including fatigue, brain fog, difficulty walking, blurred vision, and muscle stiffness.

Once a distance runner, Charlie can now sometimes walk only 50 metres with walking poles.

With his MS leaving him unable to work and “surviving on Universal Credit and disability allowance”, Charlie launched a fundraiser in July with a target of £3,000 to purchase a car to regain his “freedom”.

Just days ago, he was able to buy a Honda Hybrid vehicle, which has been a “game-changer”, and he said this will allow him to travel and pursue his passion of photography and filmmaking.

He wants to create a “beautiful” documentary to “share the plight” of others living with MS – which he described as a “hidden illness” – to raise awareness and give back.

Charlie said: “I was gutted and upset because I was super active before (my diagnosis) and full of energy … but my mum said, ‘Charlie, don’t let it define you’.

“I’ve got a can-do mentality, so in a funny way, I’ve flipped it to try to find some positivity in it – and that’s exactly why I’m doing this photo documentary on people with MS.”

Speaking about his advice to others, he added: “Everyone gets sad, everyone has a cry, everyone gets cross and frustrated in life, and MS gives you another layer on top of that, but you’ve got to flip it.

“My advice is don’t give up. It’s about your state of mind, and that’s easier said than done, but you’ve just got to do the best with it and live your life.”

Charlie explained that he has always been “creative”, studying design, painting, and sculpture at college, before later modelling cars in Germany and launching a mobile gaming company in Beijing.

He worked for Warner Bros, assisting with special effects for the film Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, before moving to Marvel Studios – and this prompted him to study cinematography at the London Film Academy.

“Special effects are amazing,” Charlie said.

“In the film Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, Jason Momoa rides this creature and I helped make it.

“The metal frame had been made, but I had to cut out the profiles and stick them together and make this creature – like a big whale – and it was mounted between two robot arms, so it would wiggle around.

“I was just one of a cog of many people, but I felt lucky to be in that position.”

Charlie has always been active throughout his life and would often go hiking – but after contracting and recovering from Covid-19 during the pandemic, he noticed he was limping during a run.

After seeing no improvement, Charlie visited the Royal London Hospital in London, where an MRI scan confirmed his MS diagnosis in March 2021 – and he described this as “massive”.

There is currently no cure for MS, but treatments – such as infusion therapy – help him control and manage the condition.

“Suddenly I had a label on me – ‘you have MS’ – and it really changed my world,” he said.

“Every week or two I’ll burst into tears, sit on my bed, have a cry, and get it out – but then I’ll go, ‘Right, you’ve got this’.”

Charlie explained that his left side is more affected than his right, and he likened the sensation to “having a mild stroke”.

Although he is not in pain, Charlie said “the simple things” are challenging, such walking and getting dressed, and the condition can be mentally exhausting.

Day to day, he said he has to “consciously lift (his) foot up” when walking over rugs, otherwise he will trip, and sometimes his left leg will “shake uncontrollably”.

He cannot walk down the stairs without leaning onto or holding something, he often has difficulty controlling his bladder, and cooking can be difficult.

He said: “Let’s say I’ve boiled some spaghetti and I want to drain it; I have to make sure that I use my right hand to pour the water into the colander.

“My right side helps compensate for the left because it sometimes can’t do the simple things like lift a pan of water up.

“Also, something like putting socks on is a nightmare, so I lie on the bed, put my legs in the air, and then put my socks on that way.”

Charlie said his energy levels are similar to a phone battery, as he will start with 100% when he wakes up, but his “whole physical body gets knackered” rapidly, leaving him with only 5% at the end of the day.

Being unable to work and living on Universal Credit and disability allowance, Charlie said he realised he “needed to get a car” – and this prompted him to launch a fundraiser.

He said: “I can’t go shopping easily, I can’t even see my friends, I’m on my boat, isolated, I can’t really go anywhere.”

He set up a GoFundMe page in July this year with a target of £3,000 – and he has since surpassed this, enabling him to buy a car.

Charlie said seeing the donations pour in was “emotional” and “humbling” – and now, the vehicle “enables (him) to do anything” and has “opened up (his) world”.

Since he cannot go for a run or “lovely long walk”, the car allows him to travel to a swimming pool to exercise, visit friends and his daughter at university, and pursue his love for photography and filmmaking.

He hopes to produce a documentary about people living with MS, and he has a “real hunch” that, one day, he “will hike up a mountain again”.

He said: “The car really has been a game-changer for me because I’m registered disabled and I have limited mobility.

“Before, I’d have to get the Tube, but by the time I got there on my walking poles, I’d be gone. Oddly enough, about two weeks ago, I just collapsed at Marylebone station and I couldn’t move.

“People’s donations have enabled me to get my life back and I’m super grateful. I just want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

To find out more, visit Charlie’s fundraising page here: gofundme.com/f/quwvb-buy-a-vehicle.

To view his website and portfolio, visit: charliepalmer.photography or search @dropfootfilm or @palmercw on Instagram.