I became a popstar to help find a cure for MS
JLS singer Oritse Williams: ‘I became a popstar to help find a cure for MS to save my mother’
Last updated at 2:39 AM on 24th July 2011
Most young men trying to carve out a career in the music industry have fame and the wealth that accompanies it as an incentive to push them to the top of the charts.
But for Oritse Williams, founding member of platinum-selling boyband JLS, the motivation was his mother’s battle with the incurable illness multiple sclerosis (MS).
‘When I hit 16, Mum’s health really deteriorated,’ recalls the singer, now 24.
‘My 13-year-old brother Temisan and I were desperate to find a cure for her condition but our internet research told us there was nothing out there.
‘So we came up with a plan. We decided that when we grew up, my brother would become a scientist and I would try to make money from music.
‘That way we’d have both the means and the ability to find a cure for the disease.’
Eight years later and Oritse has undoubtedly achieved his part of the deal.
With fellow bandmates Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes and JB Gill, he has found extraordinary success. The band’s first two singles both shot to No 1, and their debut album sold more than a million copies in the UK alone.
Younger brother Temisan, now 21, is not far behind – he is studying biomedical science at Westminster University and is due to graduate next year.
Ten years ago Oritse’s mother Sonia, now 53, was diagnosed with MS, a neurological condition that affects about 100,000 Britons.
Symptoms include sight problems, uncontrollable muscle contractions (spasticity), pain throughout the body and difficulties with balance and co-ordination.
Patients can also suffer extreme fatigue, mood swings, incontinence and bowel discomfort.
Throughout his childhood and until the start of The X Factor finals in 2008, in which JLS were runners-up to Alexandra Burke, Oritse was his mother’s primary carer.
‘I can’t remember the exact moment Mum became ill, or being told what was wrong with her, I just recall that life started to change,’ he says.
Her main symptoms were problems with her mobility and her vision.
‘We could be walking to the bus stop and suddenly she’d collapse, without warning. It was frightening because I didn’t know what was happening to her. She’d always been active, running around with us, and then, all of sudden, she couldn’t.’
Like many young carers in similar situations across Britain, Oritse – who was raised in London – was forced to grow up very quickly.
His father was rarely around and his grandmother, who helped at first, became ill with pancreatic cancer and died.
Oritse, Temisan and sister Naomi, 13, shared the household chores, but the bulk of the responsibility fell on the elder brother’s shoulders.
‘Every morning before school, I’d help Mum down the stairs and make her breakfast. After school, I’d do the food shopping and cook dinner for everyone. I learned to cook enough for two days, to make things more manageable.
‘Mum tried to protect us from her illness and she was very strong and brave. Her attitude was that there were always other people worse off.’
But at times, he felt distraught. MS can be unpredictable – patients may get progressively worse, while others find symptoms come and go periodically.
Sonia couldn’t predict her attacks and Oritse tells of one occasion when he went upstairs to find his mother lying on her bedroom floor.
He had to call an ambulance and wait for it while arranging for his brother to take his sister to school. ‘I went to class that day with tears running down my face,’ he says.
‘My English teacher took me aside and I broke down in her arms. I kept saying, “I just want Mum to be OK.”
‘In the past ten years, although revolutionary treatments have been developed for those with milder forms of MS, little can be done for those, like Sonia, with more severe types.
‘There are three forms of MS,’ says Dr Raj Kapoor, consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology in London.
‘Periods when symptoms get worse are known as relapses, while periods when they improve or disappear are known as remissions.
‘The different kinds of MS are characterised by the pattern of relapse and remission that the symptoms follow.’
Relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) is the most common, characterised by numerous relapses and remissions. Relapses may last for days, weeks or months, and after each one, patients may recover completely or simply improve.
Secondary progressive MS – the type that Sonia now suffers from – is characterised by a steady worsening of symptoms, with or without relapses.
Studies show that most people with RRMS go on to develop this form, on average 15 to 20 years after first diagnosis.
Primary progressive MS, in which symptoms get steadily worse with no remissions, is the rarest form.
Dr Kapoor continues: ‘MS occurs when the immune system attacks the nervous system. During relapses, there is inflammation in the brain, which causes symptoms, and we have treatments that dampen down this inflammation.
‘But in progressive MS, there is actual damage to the nerve fibres. We’re now trying to identify what’s going on in progressive MS so we can stop this damage occurring.’
A drug called mitoxantrone has been shown to slow down progression, but has serious side effects such as causing heart damage or leukaemia, so is rarely prescribed.
But there are medicines that can help manage the symptoms. ‘Sativex, for example, is a cannabis-derived drug that has been shown to have a moderate effect on spasticity,’ says Dr Kapoor.
‘Although this has been recently licensed, many people are finding it hard to obtain, partly because health authorities say it’s too expensive.
‘Botox, which is also used as an anti-wrinkle jab, is now being used successfully to control bladder symptoms, which makes life better for patients. It works by relaxing muscles that spasm, which causes incontinence.’
Today, Sonia relies on a walking stick and a frame and, increasingly and very reluctantly, a wheelchair.
‘She’s stable. Some days are better than others,’ says Oritse. ‘She’s always smiling, always believing they’ll find a cure some day.’
Dr Kapoor says such a prospect is more likely as huge advances have been made in neurology and biology over the past decade.
‘There’s also a lot on the horizon that offers real promise, particularly in the area of stem cells.’
Since JLS shot to fame, Oritse’s siblings have taken over Sonia’s care. ‘It makes me feel guilty,’ he says.
‘My sister shouldn’t have this responsibility at her age. But Mum is immensely proud of my career and made it clear I shouldn’t feel bad. I’ve moved house to be closer to her. When I’m around, I try to do the shopping for her.
‘And when I’m on tour, I buy it over the internet and get it delivered. Thanks to JLS’s success, I can pay for carers to help look after her and clean the house.’
During the last JLS tour in 2010, Sonia was able to attend several dates. And each night before performing, Oritse met people with MS and their young carers, part of his role as ambassador for UK charity the MS Society.
One boy struck a real chord. Oritse recalls: ‘He was called Ethan and was about 12 and, like me, he loved collecting hats – I bought my first one when I was three. Now I’m planning to auction them off for the MS Society.
‘It can be so hard being a young carer. It can seem as if no one understands what you’re going through. I know how important it is to meet other people who relate.’
Today, JLS release She Makes Me Wanna, the first single from their third album, out later this year.
And Oritse wants to appeal to one woman he feels might help him search for a cure.
‘I’d like to get in touch with J. K. Rowling, whose mum also had MS. I think it could be really powerful if we collaborate.’
www.mssociety.org.uk, www.youngcarers.net
