Every day in the UK, 6 people are diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. In October 2018, my mum was among those unfortunate few. 

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) affects the nerves (motor neurones) in the brain and spinal cord that tell your muscles what to do. With MND, messages from these nerves gradually stop reaching the muscles, leading them to weaken, stiffen and waste. Speech and swallowing are also affected, meaning that things we take for granted, like communicating, eating and drinking, can become uncomfortable or even impossible. MND is fatal and there currently is no cure.

My mum used to be the picture of health: Never smoked, exercised every day and ate a diet that any nutritionist would praise. She was also as sharp as they come: A caring problem solver who always took the lead with vigor and determination.

Shortly after her retirement in 2012,  some small changes in mum were brushed off as 'old age setting in': 'Arthritis' in her hand, 'forgetfulness'  and a change in her speech. It wasn't until we saw a gradual limp develop, and the muscle wasting on the left hand side of her face that we urged her to go to the GP.

After numerous tests, her consultant delivered the fatal blow: Mum had MND. She wasn't going to get better and we needed to prepare for the inevitable. 

To see mum go from being so active to being unable to move around without assistance is heartbreaking for us, and beyond frustrating for her. She feels trapped inside her own head, and experiences extreme emotions at feeling like a 'burden'.

But we refuse to let negativity take over. Making memories has become our mantra. We can't change the hand that mum has been dealt, but we can fill her time with love and happiness. To have a life cut so brutally short brings a whole host of emotions, but the most poignant is the one to fight to stop this fate befalling others.

With your support, we can help to bring comfort, hope or even a cure, to those who are affected by MND. Please believe me when I say, that in times of darkness, those gifts are the greatest you can ever give.

Thank you for your support.