Faced with life-changing news, would you believe in magic?

Gallop: a story about what life can throw at us, and how we get back up

The Edinburgh Centre for Multiple Sclerosis Research is dedicated to unravelling the biological mechanisms that underlie MS and to developing new therapies for its treatment.

An important aspect of the work in the centre is the use of zebrafish as a laboratory model. Using cutting edge microscopy in zebrafish one can now directly observe demyelination (the cause of the symptoms of MS) and remyelination (repair) as they occur in a living animal, which is providing new insights into key biological events of relevance to MS.

Zebrafish are also an ideal system for rapid, cost effective drug discovery screens, and new clinical trials based on work carried out in zebrafish are already in progress. We aim to identify drug-like molecules that can enhance myelin repair in zebrafish, and ultimately translate our findings into new clinical trials for the treatment of MS.

This award will help support PhD students during such important studies. 

close

Join the shift.ms community

So that's Dave and Karen's story, we want to hear about yours. Log in or register to share your experiences in our forum.

Join OUR Community

46 responses to Gallop

  1. Dovechick I’m sorry you feel that way about men… This story line played out almost exactly as the story of mine and my wife’s story, we met we started to fall in love and after 3 months of dating I was diagnosed with MS I waited 3 weeks to tell her for fear she would leave me. When I told her I explained to her that I could date her any longer that I couldn’t put her and her 3 young children through what I needed to deal with.. She told me that she didn’t care what I had every time I protested and told her I could end up in a wheelchair she would tell me it’s alright I don’t mind pushing you around in it.. We have been married for 2 years now…

  2. I am newly diagnosed and this just sums things up. I told my partner to walk away, he didn’t :)

  3. Beautiful, touching love it………

  4. Brill movie. Everything’s magic if you make it so.

  5. wow beautiful. The guy voiced my thoughts and fears and have been having all of the symptoms minus the blurred vision. Something to be grateul for and timely positive message for me and family n friends.

    This will save me a lot of explaining which im still finding hard to do.

    Thanx @ shift.ms team.

  6. Really moving and beautifully filmed

  7. I’ve needed something like this to explain MS to my family without getting to deep. Fantastic and very moving.

  8. The best film about MS and relationships that I have ever seen.Just wow!!..

  9. Fantastic film. We need to stay positive, life goes on even with MS. Well done

  10. Thank You ! This is such an amazing short film. I’ve been madly showing it to family and friends. A reminder to me that it isn’t all bad.

    I’d love to see more of the story :)

  11. Gem said on July 23, 2012

    Absolutely beautiful. Incredibly moving. Fantastic. And many many more superlatives to boot. Wonderful work George and everyone else involved. Amazing. X

  12. Absolutely brilliant. A beautiful film in every way.Thank you to everyone involved in creating it!

  13. Gallop is  a wonderful story that is beautifully filmed, constructed and is the perfect length.  I am extremely appreciative that the film makers and actors work tell a story that deals with parts of life with MS that are almost never talked about.

    - What it means fumble, process and try to deal with the abtract shifting evolution perception self and reality in the period before diagnosis.
    - The changing emotional and societal definitions of realty that men with MS almost always have to face completely on their own and 
    - What it means woman to see her man become weak for no apparent reason, then honestly process this new landscape and find a way to still let him be her man.

    In so many ways Gallop mirrors my wifes and my experience.  She moved in with me, 5 days later I spent a week in the hospital was diagnosed. We went though a rough, and not always pretty, periods of learning about each other and MS, fell further in love and naively got married.   

    True, I am the one who has to abstract deal things like the moment my hand forgot how to brush my teeth, but I argue that her struggle with with MS is harder. We survive because she  is honest with me and herself and we continue to search for that quiet clearing in the forest together. 

    When apropriate, I will share this others as a concersation stratrter about the MS. 

    Thank you

  14. Interesting that the person with MS is the male in the story. Chances are that this might well be true for men. My daughter’s experience however was different. Her partner stayed around for as long as she appeared normal, (having said similar words when she first told him she had MS) when she started becoming disabled he left her. She is not unique. Disability such as loss of bladder and bowel control, inability to walk, fatigue, brain fog and loss of sexual function puts an enormous strain on relationships. This short film might well be full of feel good factor but it is unlikely to reflect real life in the medium to long term. Its a Cinderella story with a happy ending but only the beginning of some difficult times.

  15. That was amazing. So positive and really beautiful. Well done guys!

  16. This was beautiful. My husband asked me to marry him knowing I had MS. Can’t wait to see more.

  17. I thought it was beautiful. My husband asked me to marry him even after I told him about my MS. Can’t wait to see more.

  18. Rab said on July 18, 2012

    Loved it… its magical!

  19. Amazing and so reflective of what actually goes on in the heads of people with MS. I would love to see more movies of this kind.

  20. Brilliant. It really hit the button of potential isolation. That is what MS can do. It is so difficult for people without MS to understand what it does physically and mentally. It is difficult for people with MS to know what it may do physically and mentally.

  21. Love the fact that you’ve made not real, not a health documentary. Well done!

  22. I was moved to tears by this film. MS is such a scunner but love really is the answer! It doesn’t have to be the romantic love that Gallop so gently portrays, we can all make things a bit easier by reaching out to others and letting them reach out to us. I’ve been so heartened on my MS journey by the capacity of folk I meet to be kind. Sure some people act as if they don’t give a toss. But it usually is an act and humanity’s capacity to love so often shines through. Gosh I sound more optimistic than I often feel! Maybe Gallop helped! Thanks to all who made this film. I’ve passed the details on to everyone in my support group and put a link on my website http://www.msmoray.net

  23. Bit cheesy…. but bang on the money. I hope it gets out there & helps in informing others which it certainly does. Thanks

  24. If I’d known that I had MS when I met my now husband I’m not sure whether I would still have got married. He insists that if he’d known what would happen he’d still would have asked to marry me. This film captures the complex emotions that happen when a diagnosis of MS is given.

  25. Why can’t I see the film? Help!

  26. beautiful film! lovely shot and a great script.

  27. What a fantastic short film. Def impact.. (on me anyway)..

  28. WELL done — the short movie says all :-)

  29. Well done and thank you!

  30. In my 25 years of having MS, that is the most honest and beautifully told story I’ve seen about diagnosis, relationships and believing in the magic of love while having MS. More than well done, friends. Bravo.

  31. Stunning! And so uplifting! Having received my dx recently, it was all so real, but excellently done, and something you should all be proud of!

  32. Brilliant !!
    Very well done to all !!

  33. Ooh, sorry, something went wrong there, Macfail &
    sentences chopped… hopefully the sense is kinda
    there.

  34. :’-) Congrats George & all, this is lovely. And so true, the ‘oh my god what’s next’ etc etc, shutting down & distancing the world etc etc – but showing that it can be dealt with & we can move on & have good lives & love, etc etc etc. Well done Shifters & all associated!

    And okay, my story then since you asked. I was dx’d, and after several years of failing at love I met a girl who didn’t blink at seeing I was in a wheelchair but was instead very impressed at seeing that I was determined to get out to festivals with such. Three years on, we’re living together & more in love than ever, she is the bestests & the best help & support I could hope for – so it’s not only true in films :)

    This shall duly be shared on FB, Twit & so forth – congrats again guys & gals.

  35. congratulation, very good! you should think go further with the film and show to people that is possible to have a life, a good life with MS.
    he should have kids, and job and friends, everything….
    Reality is full of examples of that is possible, you just have to say it to who is new in the disease.
    congrats
    i

  36. This video is so Good, so real, that I will add your video to the “Stu’s Views & MS News” blog and have it appear in this coming weekly MS e-Newsletter…. – thank you for sharing it with me

  37. WOW ! – Although I could sense what was going to occur, it struck me hard as he was getting his Dx and then of course trying to distance himself from the woman. I too remember trying to distance myself after diagnosis and of course we all wonder “what will be”.. — Regards, Stuart – Pres and Founder of MS Views and News –
    http://www.msviewsandnews.org

  38. George, this is so great. The message is so positive and I like it so much! Congratulations!

    • Thanks @BirgitB! There were lots of people involved in the project, many more than me (I can’t take too much of the credit unfortunately!). We’re very proud of the film though and hope as many people can see it as possible.

  39. Fantasic positive film. I have MS and I love the scene where he sees the horse. Life is full of unexpected moments and wonderful moments.
    This film makes me smile.

  40. We’re very excited to launch Gallop today. We want to hear what you think of the film. Please let us know here

Leave a reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Views so far: 55,149

Feedback