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Five years ago, in September 2008, my mum, Marion May, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. This diagnosis was both shocking and terrifying for mum and for all of us. Motor Neurone Disease is very unpredictable and follows a different path in all of it's suffers. Essentially though, over time, it detroys all motor (movement) nerves, leaving the suffer completely paralysed. This includes destroying the nerves that operate the lungs and the vocal cords. 

• Motor Neurone Disease is a rapidly spreading neurodegenerative disease which attacks the nerves that control voluntary movement. As these nerves die, the muscles (through lack of electrical nerve stimulation) begin to weaken and atrophy which leads to paralysis. Life expectancy is normally dictated by the weakening of the breathing muscles.
• Motor Neurone Disease affects around 5,000 in the UK (around 30,000 in USA). Every day in this country five people die from MND
• The cause of the disease is unknown and average life expectancy is just 2-5 years from symptom onset. Around half will die within 14 months of diagnosis.
• The number of people who develop MND in the UK each year is around 2 in every 100,000 and the number who have MND is around 7 in every 100,000
• It affects both men and women although men are slightly more at risk (about 1.5x)
• You can get it at any time in adult life – even as young as in your early twenties but average age is 60-65
• Only about 10% of cases are familial (inherited) whilst the remaining 90% are sporadic (i.e. appears for no apparent reason).
• There is no test for MND. Diagnosis is arrived at by elimination and the experience of the Neurologist
• The number of people with MND is set to increase due to an aging population. This will place a tremendous burden on health care services.

Mum survived just short of 2 years from the date of diagnosis. She died on 9th September 2010, aged just 56 years old.

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