A mum who couldn't squeeze soap from a cloth while washing dishes was told she had 18 months to live after receiving a shock Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis.
Helen McMurray, from Cowdenbeath in Fife, first noticed she had 'trigger finger' in one hand and was struggling to grip onto things in November 2021. The 66-year-old was referred to a neurologist by her GP and after months of tests was diagnosed with the incurable condition on May 4, 2022.
In a further blow, doctors told Helen her life expectancy would be around 18 months.
The pensioner, who now uses a speech machine to communicate, told the Record: "MND is torture not only for myself but for everyone around me as well.
"I first noticed I couldn't squeeze out a cloth when I was doing the dishes and it started getting weaker really quickly. Never in my life did I think I had Motor Neurone Disease.
"It was the worst news imaginable. My daughter was with me, I can't imagine how I would have felt if she wasn't. I couldn't take any of it in."
Despite her diagnosis, Helen continued pouring pints with her right arm at the Old Cross Guns Inn in her hometown until it began to weaken a few months later.
She continued: "When my other arm started to weaken, I had to stop working. The reality of the illness took its toll on my mental health.
"I didn’t want to leave the house at all, I didn’t want anyone to see me. We had no idea how difficult this was going to be."
The grandmother-of-two has now lost power in both her arms, her neck, and communicates with a speech machine that she operates using her feet. Her husband Kevin, 64, has stepped back from his job as a coach driver to become her full-time carer.
Her family are desperate for Helen to make the most of the time she has left and have launched a fundraiser to help Helen purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
Helen continued: "We have a wheelchair accessible vehicle which is being rented by an anonymous donor and it allows me to leave the house.
"I didn't want anyone to see me but the rented vehicle has given me more confidence and I can travel comfortably and safely. Sadly this is just a short term solution until we can raise enough funds to buy our own.
"The support from everyone has been overwhelming. Everyone has been so kind and a small act of kindness makes the unbearable, bearable.
"We just want to continue to raise awareness about MND and the effects that it has had on myself and my loved ones. We hope and pray every day that someone somewhere will find a cure."
MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles and can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, swallow or breathe unaided.
Helen and her family hope to continue raising funds for research into the condition. Her daughter Morna, 26, has already raised £3,000 for MND Scotland by holding various events and fundraisers.
To donate to the fundraiser and help Helen get a wheelchair accessible vehicle, click here.
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