A MAN who hid his multiple sclerosis diagnosis for nine months has made history by raising the £2,000 needed to run next year’s London Marathon in just less than 96 hours.

Since opening up on his blog about his MS and his struggles with mental health, Tom Cutts has attracted 107 supporters to his JustGiving page and raised £2,330.

He cemented his place in next year’s prestigious race in less than 96 hours.

The former Wivenhoe Town footballer was diagnosed with MS in October 2017 after feeling pain in his chest, head and stomach.

Since then, he has admitted falling into depression as he struggled to come to terms with a future living with the incurable neurological condition.

The 26-year-old said: “At first I thought it [the pains] could be to do with the usual stress of work but even with medication these pains never subsided.

“Getting that diagnosis sent thoughts spiralling throughout my mind. The first one was ‘What is multiple sclerosis?’ I’d only ever heard the word once or twice in my life but never knew what it meant.

“My diagnosis has caused me to fall into depression, my anxiety levels have skyrocketed and at times so have my stress levels. Coming out of depression takes time, there’s no one-click solution.”

He added: “The response I have received on my sponsorship page has left me speechless.

“To hit my target in less than 96 hours and to raise over £2,000 that quickly doesn’t feel real.

“Recording MS-UK’s quickest time to hit this mark has made me feel privileged to have so many great people in my life who have allowed me to achieve this. It has been one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had.

“Since announcing my diagnosis to the public on Friday evening I’ve received so many messages of support from friends and people around the world that it has been hard to manage all these conversations at once.

“As well as raising money for MS-UK, my aim is to raise awareness of both MS and mental health, which are both personal to me.

“Sharing my experiences of MS and opening up about my depression was important to me as even though I am going through a hard time in my life and struggling inside, if I am able to help just one person then my blog is a success.

“I hope to help people realise that they are not alone with these battles in life.

"People keep telling me that I am inspirational but to me I’m just being myself!”

To donate to Tom’s appeal, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/tomcuttsmsuk or read his blog, go to mscontroltomajortom.com.