A man given a devastating diagnosis has spoken of his heartbreak over no longer being able to take his beloved dog for a walk.
Luke Lawes, 28, is barely able to move his arms and legs after finding out he had motor neurone disease in 2021.
Once a keen footballer, skiier and mountain biker, he now needs support just to walk. His condition has progressed to the point where he is unable to enjoy walks in the countryside with his partner Becky Davies and their dog Mari, who they rescued on a trip to Mexico last year.
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It is a further blow to Luke, who has always loved being active and getting outdoors to explore new places. He has had to put his adventures and walks on hold for the time being unless his family can raise enough to buy a special off-road wheelchair, Cheshire Live reports.
The lightweight three-wheel wheelchair would give Luke, from Frodsham, Cheshire, back some of his freedom and independence lost after he was diagnosed with the condition. But as it comes at a cost of around £11,000, Luke's family have launched a fundraiser in an attempt to raise enough to buy the off-road chair.
For Luke, this would mean a new lease of life, with he and Becky able to continue to make plans for day trips and holidays together. Such trips out have always been an important part of life for Luke and Becky and it is hard for his family to see him unable to do this for the time being.
Luke's sister Jen St Pierre, who lives in Chester, said the only wheelchair currently offered to Luke via the NHS was prohibitively heavy, at around 200kg, and could not be put into a car. This would severely impact on Luke's independence, with it also not being suitable for handling the sort of conditions and gradients needed to go off-road.
Luke's family have therefore organised a GoFundMe to try to raise the cash needed for the lightweight off-road wheelchair. And Jen has pledged to walk the Three Peaks challenge in return for any donations to help them reach their fundraising target.
Talking about his initial diagnosis, Luke said he knew something was wrong when he suffered from random twitches on his body and also kept falling over.
The keen footballer said he was originally told by medics that his symptoms were caused by stress and anxiety, as he appeared to be a 'healthy young lad'. But Luke persisted and it was only when he was given a series of scans that the devastating diagnosis was made in October 2021.
His sister Jen said the off-road wheelchair would make a huge difference to Luke's quality of life, enabling him to continue to get outdoors.
Jen said: "He's not doing that great. He can't really move his arms or legs very effectively and needs support to walk. He's doing remarkably well overall but I imagine he has very low points. Sometimes I can just see that he is completely fed up.
"He's shown remarkable strength, given the journey he's been on, from first finding out and being devastated to just finding the motivation to go out and embrace whatever life he can and still have exciting experiences and travel.
"He's one of those people who could learn a sport in the morning and be comparatively better than average at it by the afternoon. Getting the off-road wheelchair would make such a difference. It can go on any terrain."
Speaking of her family's pride in how Luke is coping, she said: "He is an inspiration. It's been such a horrible time for all of us but the fact that he is showing such strength is incredible.
"It enables everybody else to see this situation in a better light than they might otherwise."
She added that Luke and Becky were hoping to travel to South Africa to enjoy experiences such as going on a safari if they can get the off-road wheelchair.
The NHS website states that MND is an uncommon condition affecting the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that gets worse over time.
While there's no cure for MND, there are treatments available to help reduce the impact it has on a person's day-to-day life.
MND can significantly shorten life expectancy and, unfortunately, eventually leads to death. One high profile person who had MND was scientific genius Professor Stephen Hawking, who lived for 55 years despite being told he had two years to live in 1962.
To donate to Luke's fundraiser, visit gofund.me/e1a53f30.
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