Motor neurone disease hits you like a brick – it’s the loss of the future you thought you had

CORINNE Watson was 42 erstwhile she was diagnosed with MND.

Now babelike connected an app to communicate, Corinne and hubby Paul, 44, from Cumbria, uncover however they are making the astir of each infinitesimal they person near together.

Paul says: "I volition ne'er hide the time Corinne and I went to the infirmary for her trial results.

She was terrified, but I reassured her she was lone 42 and warring fit. When we sat down successful the specialist’s office, helium chopped to the chase: ‘I’m atrocious to accidental you person motor neurone disease [MND].’

I fell apart, but Corinne sat determination silently.

She’d suspected that her code slurring was owed to the aforesaid incurable neurological unwellness that rugby prima Rob Burrow had, portion I’d refused to contemplate losing the astir intelligent, caring, adventurous, full-of-life idiosyncratic I knew.

Corinne and I met successful 1997 astatine secondary schoolhouse and became an point consecutive away.

We some went to Salford University, past got joined successful 2005, earlier having our sons, Lucas successful 2010 and Leo successful 2014.

Life was engaged and happy, with my occupation successful HR and Corinne moving for the section government, and we had what we thought was an astonishing future up arsenic a family.

We archetypal noticed Corinne was slurring successful spring 2021, but didn’t deliberation overmuch astir it.

She was super-fit and healthy, moving half-marathons, with a pin-sharp mind. But arsenic the months went by, the slurring got worse.

Finally, connected that acold greeting successful November 2022, tests confirmed our worst fears.

It hits you similar a ceramic – the nonaccomplishment of each those years you thought you’d person together.

Watching our boys turn up and the adventures we’d spell on. After little talks with the advisor and nurses, we walked silently retired of the hospital, past Corinne broke down.

Although we didn’t cognize however rapidly the MND would progress, determination was lone 1 imaginable outcome. Leo was 8 then, and Lucas 12.

They knew Mummy hadn’t been well, and erstwhile we told them, Lucas said: ‘You’re not going to die, are you Mum?’ She replied: ‘Yes, I’m sorry’.

It was upsetting, but helium had to cognize the truth. Leo conscionable carried connected playing with his Lego – adjacent now, helium doesn’t similar talking astir it, but they’ve some had unthinkable enactment from their schools.

The doc advised packing successful arsenic overmuch arsenic we could successful the adjacent 12 months. So, that Christmas we took the boys to New York, past Rhodes the adjacent summer, Sorrento successful the autumn, arsenic good arsenic tons of UK breaks.

But going overseas became progressively tricky arsenic Corinne’s information worsened, and we realised we didn’t person to alert halfway crossed the satellite to walk clip together.

Meanwhile, our family, friends and assemblage rallied round. At the commencement of 2023, my sister-in-law Liz acceptable up a JustGiving page, hoping to rise £5,000 for probe into MND.

This kick-started our fund-raising, which included marathons, sponsored walks and climbing England’s sixth-highest highest past June.

The weather that time was acold from ideal, with wind, rainfall and fog, but Corinne insisted connected joining us. By then, her MND was affecting her walking and she was losing weight, but she was determined.

I don’t cognize however she did it, and astatine the apical I took a photograph of her, which says it all. After smiling each the mode up, she burst into tears astatine the consciousness of accomplishment combined with the harsh world – conscionable a twelvemonth before, she’d person tally up that mountain.

Afterwards, she posted connected Facebook: ‘When beingness gives you lemons, if you’re lucky, your astonishing household and friends get unneurotic to marque lemonade’, and that’s spot-on.

So far, we’ve raised astir £40,000, and Corinne says each lb is simply a awesome of emotion for each of us.

She present relies connected a wheelchair to get around, but she’s determined to beryllium determination for things similar the boys’ sports days.

She besides has problems swallowing, and it’s hard to recognize her, which is atrocious for her.

She’s astir wholly reliant connected a text-to-speak app and suffers from oesophageal spasms respective times a week, which tin beryllium distressing, arsenic she seems to choke.

I person acheronian moments, but I person to get done them due to the fact that we can’t not support going – nary substance however hard it is for me, it’s thing compared to what Corinne is going through.

I’ve done my champion to fell my emotions, but I’m definite she senses my fearfulness and anger.

It mightiness dependable naff, but there’s a large punctuation from Rocky Balboa, erstwhile Sylvester Stallone says: ‘It’s not astir however hard you hit, it’s astir however hard you tin get deed and support moving forwards.’ This sums america up perfectly – our quality to support going.”

Corinne says: "When I received my diagnosis, each I could deliberation astir were the boys – however would we archer them? And however would they header losing their mum?

That 1 ne'er gets immoderate easier. MND is terrifying. You are utterly helpless to halt the full breakdown of your body. There’s nary medicine, nary treatment, nary tools to assistance you combat it.

In the 20 months since my diagnosis, I person gone from being a precise progressive mum to utilizing a wheelchair. I can’t navigator oregon thrust and request assistance with basal tasks.

Paul is efficaciously my full-time carer, on with his mum Anne. I tin choke connected nutrient and person had immoderate beauteous epic falls. But the astir devastating happening is not being the mum I utilized to be.

We can’t chat astir Lego, friends oregon school, and it’s hard to assistance with homework. I can’t archer the boys disconnected – which, secretly, they love! But, contempt each this, beingness goes on.

Paul works, the kids spell to schoolhouse and their clubs, and jobs request doing. We inactive negociate to person movie nights together, picnics and abbreviated walks with our canine Marley.

In May this year, we recovered retired we’d been nominated for a JustGiving grant and were implicit the moon. It was fantastic to spot our astonishing radical being celebrated – but Team Corinne is much than that.

It’s the household members who bash housework and repast drops. It’s besides my colleagues who made truthful galore adaptations to let maine to proceed moving for truthful agelong – I lone stopped earlier this year, which was gutting due to the fact that I loved my job.

And it’s the friends who driblet by to chat and assistance with the boys. It’s Paul, Lucas and Leo who look aft maine truthful good and person ne'er erstwhile moaned astir however hard it is.

I’ve talked with Paul astir the things I’d similar the boys to transportation connected with erstwhile I’m gone, similar the value of moving hard and my emotion of exercise, and presents I’d similar them to beryllium fixed connected milestones successful their lives.

In the meantime, the money we’ve raised volition assistance supply grants to MND families to marque peculiar memories. Whatever happens, if I tin permission a affirmative legacy, it’s each I tin anticipation to do.” 

•  The Watsons were finalists successful this year’s GoCardless JustGiving Awards – spell to Justgiving.com/page/corinnewatsonmnd.