Multiple sclerosis sufferer Joe Ramsden broadcasts his London Marathon feat live with LiveU

The technology of LiveU has made it possible to broadcast live and in 360º the participation of Joe Ramsden (sufferer from multiple sclerosis) in the 2024 London Marathon.

three years ago, Joe Ramsden He suddenly found that he could not walk or see and had to be admitted to the hospital. He was vomiting uncontrollably every time he tried to open his eyes and he had no idea what was happening, nor did the doctors. After four similar incidents and being in and out of the hospital (in the last one he lost feeling and full use of his left arm and hand), he was diagnosed with a aggressive form of multiple sclerosis (EM).

In December 2023, Joe's MS status changed and he is currently at high risk for a stroke. infection cerebral life-threatening condition called PML. Your doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to change your medications to minimize your risk, but your MS journey continues. Despite this, he wanted to go back to doing what he liked most: run. In his own words: "As soon as the world started giving me a break again and I started to feel better and healthier after those incidents, I had in mind that I wanted to run. And I wanted to find a way to show what it feels like when people are having a really bad time; that it's okay to be struggling and that we shouldn't hide from those things. Running this marathon is an example of that. I didn't look very good doing this and I had a very, very bad time. But I got through it. I wanted to inspire people. It wasn't your typical post. "Instagram."

The idea went from wanting to have a camera pointed at his face, to giving life to an entire event broadcasting live on 360º degrees. After many companies ignored him on a series of technology requests, he contacted LiveU. "Matt Stringer from LiveU in the UK sent me a great email and immediately understood what I wanted to do and why. He was so encouraging. It's hard to describe how amazing it was," explains Ramsen.

The LU300S, key equipment for Ramsen

LiveU supplied a LU300S for the event, a compact yet powerful 4G/5G portable field unit for on-the-go live coverage and broadcast operations, as well as LiveU Studio, the company's cloud-based live video production service, to provide rock-solid connectivity for streaming to YouTube.

Transmission TX took care of the camera and audio, while The Grip Company developed special equipment adapted to the particularities of this broadcast that, fortunately, came to fruition: "I did it! It was incredibly hard, by far the hardest thing I have ever done, but I did it! I hope people got an idea of ​​the challenge through the incredible technology I used. I want to thank everyone who has helped me make it happen. I hope to inspire people to try new things, no matter how difficult they may seem."

Matt Stringer, Director of Sales at LiveU, conveys his vision from the other side: "It's not very often that someone like Joe contacts you to talk to you about the challenges he faces and what he wanted to do. In the blink of an eye I knew we could help him and we are delighted that we did. Watching him make his way through what was clearly a difficult journey really touched us at LiveU and we are proud to support you, Joe. Well done, Joe. Very well done."