When former Neyland rugby player Steve Roberts was told last November that he had Multiple Sclerosis, he was determined to do everything in his power to kick the debilitating illness into touch.

This month he embarked on the gruelling challenge of scaling the Pembrokeshire Coast Path not just once, but twice.

Steve is covering between 15 and 22 miles a day depending on the terrain, and is clocking up the mileage either by walking or running.

“This is why I found it so hard to accept that Steve has MS,” his wife, Sarah, told the Western Telegraph from their home in Mastlebridge near Neyland.

“He never gets ill, and he’s always telling me and our three children that he’s invincible.”

Steve, who works offshore, first suspected that things weren’t right when he began feeling pins and needles in his thumb and forefinger. He chose to ignore this for some five months but when he began experiencing pain in his neck and shoulder, he decided to seek medical advice.

“They initially thought it was wear and tear as I’ve always been pretty active, playing rugby for Neyland until an arm injury last year, running and cycling, but then the neuro-radiologist at Morriston Hospital found a small lesion on my spinal chord.”

Further scans revealed more lesions on Steve’s brain which eventually confirmed the diagnosis of MS.

“When I started telling my friends, they couldn’t believe it, as people always assume it’s something that old people get,” says Steve, who’s 43. “But this simply isn’t the case.

“Most find out when they’re in their 20s or 30s.

“Obviously it’s been a big shock to me, but even though it isn’t a curable disease, it's largely manageable. And the prognosis in 2023 is a lot better than it would have been a few years ago.”

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To help raise awareness of the illness and also raise funds for on-going MS research, Steve is completing the Pembrokeshire coast path twice, once in each direction. Joining him on the journey for much of the way is Nessa, his loyal little dog, as well as a large number of friends and family.

Western Telegraph: Nessa RobertsNessa Roberts (Image: Western Telegraph)

“The support I’m getting is absolutely amazing, not just from the medical teams but from the people around me here in Neyland,” he said.

“My JustGiving page has already raised £8,500 which says so much about people’s generosity.

"If I can do just a little bit to support Multiple Sclerosis sufferers like myself, than that’s what it’s all about.”

Steve's JustGiving page can be visited here.

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