Perth man tells of life with terminal illness in new biography

A Perth resident has published a book about living with terminal illness Motor Neurone Disease.

All proceeds from Richard Selley’s novel, Death Sits on My Shoulders, will go to charity MND Scotland.

The 64-year-old, who lives in Glenalmond, was keen to share his experiences, starting before his diagnosis in March 2015.

His book describes the physical and emotional challenges that come with a terminal diagnosis and – despite the title – how he has tried to meet these challenges with humour and positivity.

MND is a progressive terminal illness which prevents signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, eat, speak and breathe unaided.

Richard said: “My journey with MND began some time before I knew it. The book begins five years ago, when a glass of beer slipped through my fingers.

“It then describes how, after many medical appointments, scans, and tests, my self-diagnosis was confirmed, three years later.”

He said: “After the shock of diagnosis, the story covers the inevitable losses that come with this appalling disease, and the physical and emotional challenges that each loss brings.

“At first, these are gradual, and include my lack of mobility, the deterioration of my speech, and the growing stiffness of my limbs.”

Richard, who worked in Edinburgh as an economics teacher for 35 years, retired in 2009 and moved to Perth with his wife, Elaine, in 2015.

The couple married in 2011 and between them have five children. Richard has two daughters, Lorna, 38, and Megan, 25, as well as three step-children.

Richard, who was partly inspired by the 2015 film The Theory of Everything about Stephen Hawking, said: “I hope the book will help people better understand what having a progressive and terminal illness such as MND is like,” he said.

The book is available on Kindle and in hard copy via Amazon.