A DEBILITATING disease which threatened to blind one Crondall resident and has severely reduced her mobility, has ironically reunited her with a childhood hobby – and really put the wind back in her sails as she embarked on the challenge of a lifetime last month.

Annette O’Donnell, 56, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), had not sailed in more than four decades since going on weekend trips to Hayling Island with her family.

After a chance encounter while out with a carer led to regular sessions with Sailability at Frensham Pond, Annette headed out from Gatwick to Dubrovnik on April 27 to crew one of a flotilla of five yachts with charity Oceans of Hope.

The vessels, all crewed by people living with MS and led by a qualified skipper, spent a week exploring the islands and historic towns of the Dalmatian coast.

The group shared tasks according to their different abilities.

Despite experience sailing in her formative years, Annette says she was a reluctant sailor second time around – but with support from the Sailability team and husband Kevin, 55, she soon found herself ship-shape and now even has her own custom-made buoyancy aid.

“The boats are very stable,” she said. “It’s incredible. I love it. They are designed for disabled people. They hoist me into the little boat. It’s lovely.”

When Annette was diagnosed with MS she suffered from blurred vision, and said her pupils were ‘jumping around’.

Doctors explained she was experiencing a ‘brain stem relapse’.

At first she was able to continue working part time, but her mobility deteriorated, and while she can use a walker, she says she has noticed a considerable decline.

“I know I’ve gone downhill,” she said.

She was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2009, and says that at the time she had to give up her driving licence.

“It was a nightmare of a year,” she said.

Despite her limitations, Annette volunteers at two MS Society branches in Basingstoke and Farnborough, where she is lead support volunteer, assisting people newly diagnosed with the condition.

Annette said: “I get so much out of volunteering with the MS Society and it’s something I really look forward to doing every week.

“If you have empathy and want to do something to improve society, giving up your time like this is the best thing you can do. After all, we all have something to give.”

While the MS Society granted her funds to go on the trip, she would like to raise money for others to have similar opportunities.

“I just thought wouldn’t it be nice to pay them back,” she said.

If you would like to contribute to Annette’s challenge, visit her Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/AnnetteODonnell

Anyone interested in supporting the MS Society can email [email protected] or call 07702 605571.