 Elliot and Gina Hope BBC's 'Holby City' Story Line  |
Motor Neurone Disease Also known in the U.S.A as ALS ( amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ) |
Proffesor Stephen Hawking World-renowned theoretical physicist and has been diagnosed with ALS for over 40 years now.
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There is a whole range of websites full of 'facts' about M.N.D, however I would personally advise the following Website as it features facts not horror stories. Motor Neurone Disease or MND is a progressive disorder affecting the upper and lower motor neurones. This breakdown causes muscle wastage resulting in loss of mobility in the limbs ( arms & legs ) and difficulties in breathing, swallowing and speech. It was shown in Holby City a few years back when Elliot Hope contraversially helped his wife Gina to a clinic in Switzerland, to end her life with 'Dignity' through a lethal dose of drugs. More widely known of course is Proffesor Stephen Hawking, who has had the disease for many years now. There is no way of telling where in the body it will start. There is just no way of telling, it affects everyone differently and no one person suffers the same. Some will start with the chest muscles failing, swallowing or breathing. While some , the onset will start in the limbs. Like John, who noticed his foot would drop, resulting in dragging. Other symptoms he noted were fasciculations over areas of his body where we now know the neurons were already starting to degenerate. The weakness gradually moved up the legs and before long John needed a wheelchair. It then turned its attention to John's hand grip and arms, which resulted in the change to an electric wheelchair. Tiredness soon set in due to the exersion placed on his body, from doing simple everyday tasks that we all take for granted. Before long, John's struggle for independance reached a breaking point and it was his decision to remain upstairs for privacy and dignity. He didn't want people to see him deteriorate any further. There is no easy way to explain MND without sounding depressing, but there is no way of making it look good or hopefull. M.N.D is Fatal. There is, at this point in time, no cure. We can only hope that the wonderful care of Hospice nurses, specialist MND nurses and good G.P's will take care of those who matter most to us, keep them comfortable and most importantly listen to their needs, as they can change so quickly. This disease recieves very little funding and needs all the research & support it can get. We need more awareness, if people knew what MND is like, then I'm sure they would help as much as they do for other great causes such as Cancer research. Thank you for listening, please take 5 minutes to look at the MND website.
THE AUTHOR.. IN LOVING MEMORY of JOHN COOPER Husband, Father, Grandfather, and friend to many.. Who finally lost his battle against M.N.D , but who died surrounded by those who loved him . Thank you to everyone, too many to name, but you know who you are.. JOHN COOPER 16th September 1941 ~ 18th June 2009
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