WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO ...

ANN IRVINE, 69, AND JIM IRVINE, 70

INOTICED something was wrong in 2012 when I had trouble walking, says Ann. It was what I now know is called foot drop. The doctor initially thought it was the result of a stroke. Almost three years of tests later I was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). They did everything from blood tests to brain and spine scans to find out what was wrong.

MND is a progressive terminal illness which prevents signals from the brain reaching the muscles. It can lead to a loss of the ability to walk, eat, speak and breathe unaided.

My condition was manageable up until last summer but then things began to change. The hardest part is no longer being able to do activities I once enjoyed, such as going for long walks in the hills. My husband Jim and I loved hiking and would visit the Cairngorms and the Yorkshire Dales. I practised yoga for 15 years but I can’t now because my balance is rubbish. I miss that.

I use a walking frame around the house and recently had a chairlift installed. When I’m out and about I use a wheelchair because I get tired much more easily. I love to cook but because of my poor balance Jim does that now. I help by cutting the vegetables at the table and making sure he has plenty of “advice”.

I try to focus on the positive. Jim and I have lived – and are still living – great lives. We haven’t closed our eyes to the fact it’s a serious illness, but I don’t look symptoms up online because what happens to someone else might never happen to me.

The type of MND I have is a slow burner. I could stay at this level for a week, 10 months or 10 years – they don’t know. That is why funding into research is so important. I look at someone like Gordon Aikman who has done amazing work raising awareness of MND.

Jim has been a fantastic support. We met on a blind date on March 9, 1968. Jim took me out for dinner in Greenock and then we went for a walk along the seafront in Largs. We got engaged in 1969 and married in 1971.

Jim: When Ann was diagnosed it felt like being hit with a brick. Over time you learn to live with it, although it is always there at the back of your mind.

There’s a lot of things Ann used to do around the house that I do now. It sounds silly but one of the things I miss is Ann going: “Do you want a wee cup of tea?” I’m getting pretty

good at making the tea these days.

I had prostate cancer for eight years. I had 40 sessions of radiotherapy and a subcutaneous hormone implant every three months. Last year I received the all-clear not long before Ann was diagnosed with MND. That was bittersweet. The good news is I’m better and can care for Ann the way she looked after me all those years. MND Awareness Week runs until tomorrow. Donate £5 to MND Scotland by texting CUREMND to 70660 or visit mndscotland.org.uk

PHOTOGRAPH: KIRSTY ANDERSON