Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. It is a complex and unpredictable condition, with symptoms that can vary widely from person to person. For Claire, landlady of The Black Horse Pub in Foxton, the road to an eventual MS diagnosis was a long and uncertain one.

Claire first noticed that something was not right when she experienced problems with her eyes.

"My right eye was giving me concern, going a bit dull and blurry," she recalls. "And then I started to get some quite severe headaches. They were getting more and more frequent."

At first, she attributed these symptoms to tiredness and stress, but as they persisted and new symptoms emerged, she began to suspect that something more serious might be going on.

Over the course of several months, Claire underwent a battery of tests, including MRI scans, a lumbar puncture, and other procedures, as doctors tried to pin down the cause of her symptoms.

"It was stressful going through all the tests because I didn't understand what or why they were doing them," she says. "I just had to wait for the results. And yeah, that was stressful."

One of the challenges of diagnosing MS is that its symptoms can be vague and non-specific, making it difficult to distinguish from other conditions.

As Claire explains, "Even though MS has been around for a long time now, it's still quite abnormal because multiple sclerosis happens in any area of the body. They had a couple of patterns to work on, eg my eye was giving me concern, going a bit dull and blurry and I was developing other problems."

Eventually, after several months of uncertainty and anxiety, Claire received a definitive diagnosis of MS in December 2022. While this news was undoubtedly a shock, it also provided some relief, as she and her family had been fearing that she had a brain tumor.

"It was a massive relief in some ways to them and me," she says. "Yeah. It was good. It was, it was a good thing. I knew I had something but now I know, I'm thinking it's not hopefully going to kill me. It's possibly going to disable me to a degree in time, but we don't know how seriously and at least we can learn to manage it."

Managing MS can be a daunting prospect, but Claire has been taking a proactive approach to her condition, working closely with her supportive friends and family, but also with the pub's brilliant staff, and seeking out reliable sources of information.

"I got told by my GP and every specialist NOT to Google it," she says. "I was only allowed to go to the MS Society or the MS Trust website because that was where I could access the only reliable information. Apparently there's a lot of unqualified fiction out there!"

In addition to educating herself about MS, Claire has also made some adjustments to her personal and work life in order to manage her symptoms. She's cut her work hours down and is taking time out from the business when necessary, knowing that she can rely on her very supportive staff to fill in when necessary.

"I was needing to lie down occasionally because of my headaches and stuff and I just couldn't do some shifts," she says. "Ros at work was noticing that I was 'ping ponging' down the hallway and said one day 'are you aware that you are completely off balance?' She asked if I had vertigo. And of course I was needing to lie down occasionally because of my headaches and stuff and I just couldn't do some shifts."

While living with MS can be challenging, Claire is determined to stay positive and hopeful about her future. "I'm thinking that there's going to be advances in the treatment and the management of it," she says. "So I'm just going to be positive about it. I'm not going to let it define me."

When asked about other people's attitude, Claire said she was amazed how many of her customers and staff knew of someone who was coping well with the disease. One gentleman customer who had just turned 90, had been living with MS for years, and Claire remarked  "he's much fitter than most 90 yr old people I've ever met'! 

So as Claire says, "at The Black Horse and Tea Room, it's very much 'business as usual", with herself very much at the helm, albeit with the generous support of her family and staff as occasionally required!

The Black Horse staff have all shown brilliant support, not only to Claire personally but by raising awareness of the condition and by campaigning on behalf of the MS Trust.

On May 7th this year, over the King's Coronation weekend, Claire, Daniel and 14 of their staff all took part in a Race For Life charity event in Leicestershire - the 'Pretty Muddy' 5K obstacle course, raising (to date) a staggering £4,850, split between Cancer Research and The MS Trust.

It was a great day as shown in some of the many pictures taken as shown on this page to capture the event, but Claire was amazed and so grateful at the generosity and support of people which enabled the team to 'smash' their fund raising target. And that in itself made the campaign all the more satisfying.

The Just Giving Page for The Black Horse Team's 'Pretty Muddy' event to raise funds for the MS TRUST is currently still open, so if you'd like to make a donation however big or small, please click on the link above or on the image above. 

Thank you so much, your support is very much appreciated.

** TO SEE MORE REVEALING PICTURES OF THEIR PRETTY MUDDY EVENT, SEE THE BLACK HORSE FACEBOOK POST HERE.

The Black Horse Pub and Tearoom
Main Street
Foxton
Leicestershire
LE16 7RD

01858 545250