Campaign moves up another gear

A Cowbit petrolhead, who has spent the last year raising awareness of his deliberating condition, is facing an emotional end of the motor-racing season as it could be the last he’s able to travel to independently.

James Wilson-White (50) has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a nerve issues that causes pain and affects movement, which is spreading throughout his body from his legs.

He says that doctors fear he will have lost the ability to drive in the next few months as a result of CRPS for which here is no known cure.

This month is CRPS Awareness Month and it also marks a year since James set up Racing 4 a Cure.

The charity aims to raise awareness of the condition through its orange ribbon logo and has been embraced by a host of racing drivers, teams and even whole championships.

It was launched at the Brand’s Hatch round of the Britcar Endurance Championship and James will be in attendance at this year’s event on November 18 but it will be tinged with sadness.

James said: “This year is probably the last year I’m going to be able to drive there by myself. That’s quite upsetting.

“I’m told that in a few months I’ll probably be in a wheelchair.”

After experiencing strange symptoms in his leg long after an accident, James was finally diagnosed with the condition in March 2001, aged 33.

“It was frustrating because I was going backward and forwards between people who told me I’d not got anything wrong with me,” said James. “I went to a specialist and within three minutes he had diagnosed me.

“It was such a relief to know I wasn’t really crazy and I’d known there was something with my leg.

“Then you find out it is only going to get worse and spread all the way around my body, including to the organs.”
James’s love of motorsport provided solace.

It’s a family love affair with family members involved with the Williams Formula One team.

He now hopes Racing 4 a Cure will raise awareness of the condition worldwide so people can diagnose it quicker and hopefully, in the long run, find a cure.

“Doctors and nurses just don’t recognise it and that causes all kinds of problems.

“It affects the immune system so a tiny cold can suddenly become the flu.

“You get pains and it can feel really hot in the affected area, which is why I’m pretty much always wearing shorts.

“If you cover it up it makes it worse, so for example that’s exactly what a paramedic would do if there was something wrong with you because they don’t know about CRPS. It would make any pain worse and they wouldn’t understand why.

“I’ve been in hospital with doctors and had to Google it on my phone to show to them, that’s how little it is known
despite a number of people having it.

“I’ve met two people  locally,” he said.

James says the disease is what’s known as a “suicide syndrome” and that he knows of one person who has the disease who chopped his own leg off, though the pain remained.

He’s determined to raise more awareness of CRPS through Racing 4 a Cure.

“If someone sees a pink ribbon they know it’s to do with breast cancer,” James explains. “A lot of people are starting to see what the orange ribbon means.

“We’re now heading all over the world. I’ve a few drivers in Australia with the logo and we’re looking at getting hopefully a few more in Europe and then make it a bit more worldwide.

“Someone from the USA with the condition has been in touch and said they would try and involve drivers there.

“It’s all moving in the right direction.”