A former junior motorsport racer who has multiple sclerosis (MS) is
seeking donations for a stem cell procedure.
Alister Bailey, 38, a former Barnes resident, has been suffering from MS for
the past eight years.
MS is a condition which affects the brain and can cause visual impairment as well as imbalance when walking which Alister has experienced.
Bailey described the moment of him waking up blind as scary.
He said: “I was unable to get out of bed, I thought it was game over.”
Bailey was visually impaired for two months but gradually recovered his
sight.
He is seeking a treatment known as Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy from a recommendation of a family friend who has undergone the treatment.
This procedure involves taking the person’s cells and cloning them and then
injecting it back into the person’s body, targeting the damaged areas.
The operation which took place in Frankfurt, Germany, was successful with the friend being healed within six months.
The total cost of the operation ranges between £35,000-40,000.
FAMILY OF THREE: Alister with wife Gemma and son Ronnie
Prior to having MS, Bailey spent three years as a junior motorsport racer in
the mid 2000s.
He said: “It was an amazing experience, it was the best time of my life.”
However the motorbiking industry does come with risk and Alister witnessed many casualties some resulting in death.
During his brief career he competed in competitions such as the British Superbike Championships.
These competitions have been televised on Eurosport and Sky Sports.
He also appeared on a fly-on-the-wall TV series, Natural Born Racers for two seasons which covered the racer’s lives during their competitions.
He was up against fierce competition in the form of two current professional racers, Tom Sykes and Cal Crutchlow.
Sykes and Cruthclow have won many competitions professionally with the
latter going as far as winning at MotoGP level, the highest honour in the
sport.
He reluctantly decided against turning professional over
fears of money drying up in the industry with sponsorship deals being hard to come by.
Bailey’s parents Joanne , 64, and Chris, 66, spoke about their son’s condition.
Chris said: “Alister just wants to play football with Ronnie, they’re big
Chelsea FC fans and it’s tough for them both.”
Joanne added: “It is devastating that he has a son who he cannot properly
support because of this illness.”
They turned to crowdfunding when the Bailey’s family-run business, which
specialised in the refurbishment of social housing, nearly went bust.
Donate to Alister’s fund: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/help-alister-fight-ms
