Nuzest partners with Kiss Goodbye to Multiple Sclerosis to raise funds for MS research

Nuzest joined forces with Kiss Goodbye to MS to help raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research. To help fundraise Nuzest created the Great Nuzest Challenge, to send eight lucky people on a 5-day walk along some of the most remote sections of the Great Wall of China. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to help raise funds for game-changing MS research.

MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It‘s a progressive,
debilitating and as yet incurable disease. MS is close to our hearts here at Nuzest, in fact Nuzest began as a result of a daughter‘s diagnosis and a father‘s quest to beat the odds and ensure she still had a long and healthy life.

In October 2019 eight ‘winners‘ from around the world were chosen to participate in the Great Nuzest Challenge. Apart of this crew was Grant H and Anna T, from New Zealand.

Post-challenge, both Anna and Grant have shared their journey with us and we would like to share it with you.

Grant H-

It was a real privilege to be a part of the Great Nuzest Challenge and support the Kiss Goodbye to MS team. Thank you for this opportunity. I am sure a lot of planning and effort went into making it a fantastic journey. Having the option to take a friend was appreciated as this added to the experience.

It was amazing exploring Beijing City, The Great Wall of China and being in the position to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis research.

While the trek was an unforgettable experience, valuable to me as well were the personal stories shared and the knowledge gained about Multiple Sclerosis.

I discovered more about the vital roles of physical activity, nutrition and mindset play in the management of MS symptoms. I look forward to learning more about this condition and sharing with my networks. Daniel L was a real asset to the group and facilitated discussions on MS sensitively. I had personal conversations with Daniel about MS and health in general and learned a lot of valuable information that I can apply to my clinical role as an exercise physiologist.

On my return from China I will be engaging with people in my personal and professional life and also my local community to discuss the trip and fundraising efforts for MS. I will be presenting to Auckland University Exercise team on invitation from a movement neuroscientist and also to my workplace, THINK Hauora, to thank them for their donations and to share learnings and experiences from the trek.

I will be continuing on the journey to raise awareness for MS and helping people manage the symptoms of MS through exercise and lifestyle.

It was a wonderful experience and was made very special with the great team who completed the trek. So many memories formed with the team and the diverse range of people made it the fun adventure it was.

Anna T-

I would like to thank the team at Nuzest for providing me with the opportunity to do something that I never dreamed of and travel to China to walk The Great Wall. I really didn‘t believe it was happening until they gave us our boarding passes. With only 8 weeks‘ notice there was a lot of build-up and preparation- getting new passports, visas, insurance, time off work, organising the kids and pets, fundraising and the scariest part, training! To be honest I was a little panicked after doing some research and reading all of the information sent from Inspired Adventures. Luckily, we live in a pretty awesome place with a mountain to practice walking at altitude and found some places close to home with lots of steps to train for the stairs we would be climbing.

So, when time would allow, my husband and I walked up to 21km (the longest I‘ve ever walked), did mountain walks and went up and down steps till we got to 1000. Once I‘d done this, I knew I could do it, but really had no idea of what to expect.

Thanks to Nuzest we were supplied with lots of Clean Lean Protein and Good Green Vitality to fuel us in our training. The Good Green Stuff bars which were perfect for our mountain walks, were all eaten by my children!!!

Our trip to China was filled with many highlights. The biggest for me was meeting four other amazing women who also have MS. It was so fantastic to hear their stories and connect on our shared experiences, but also know that MS is different for everyone and everyone's journey is different. The one thing we all have in common is we are strong and brave and living our life to the full because you just never know what is around the corner. 

I am so grateful for all of the participants who worked so hard to fundraise thousands of dollars for MS research. 

Our Inspired Adventures group came from all different backgrounds and experiences, yet we had a common goal, to walk the wall and this made it special. Everybody was supportive and mindful of other‘s capabilities so that it didn‘t matter if you were fast or slow, you felt looked after.

Each day on the wall was different ranging from deserted to fully restored, dirt tracks with tiny pieces of the wall to pieces with thousands of people where you could hardly move. The one thing they all had in common the views and the stairs!

The views each day were awe inspiring looking forward and back seeing the wall stretching out between the peaks in the ranges, making you feel small and insignificant in comparison. 

The steps were continuous, you look up and think I can‘t do that, it‘s ridiculous, get to the top and around the corner and there‘s more! But the feeling of achieving to get to the end of the walk was well worth it. 

Our trip was made even better with the fact it was organised for us, we didn‘t have to do anything, just turn up when we were told, walk and eat the food that appeared. The food was delicious and as we were moving to different places we got to try lots of different types of Chinese cooking. 

China was nothing at all what I expected, it was very clean and beautiful. The people were friendly (especially those who wanted to practice their English). The wall was most definitely my favourite part and I will forever be grateful for this experience and chance to meet these wonderful people.

Please help us Kiss Goodbye to MS and donate here

The information provided in this article is intended for educational purposes only and is general advice. It should not, nor is it intended to be, relied on as a substitute for individual medical advice or care. If the contents of this, or any other of the blogs in this series raises any concerns or questions regarding your health, please consult a qualified healthcare practitioner.