That might seem a strange title, to be grateful, but I`ll explain.
I`m grateful, for now, that Chris`s MND is progressing fairly slowly. I`ve read enough about fellow sufferer`s on social media, to know that the future is not going to easy for any of us, let alone Chris.
I`m grateful, for now, that Chris is still able to get out side and do some kind of work and come in at the end of the day feeling he has contributed to the running of the farm, I know the day will come when he will be able to do nothing.
I`m grateful, for now, that Chris and I can still talk to each other, we can still have fun and laugh and giggle together and that Chris can still use his voice to tell me he loves me. One day he will lose so much muscle tone, that he will not be able to talk.
I`m grateful for now, that Chris can still eat and enjoy the food he loves, (though toast and crumbly biscuits are already off the menu) .One day he will no longer be able to swallow and will have to be fed through a gastric tube (Peg).
I`m grateful, for now, that, Chris can still climb the stairs, just about and that we can still share a bed and hug each other at night. One day he will not be able to walk or support himself properly.
I`m grateful too that we live where we do, that he was diagnosed within 3 months, that the palliative care team got in touch really quickly and that they are all so very kind and helpful. Chris now has his shower seat and special foot supports to go inside his shoes to support his dropped feet and that has helped the way he walks quite a bit.
I`m grateful because the South West was chosen by NHS England to be the first area to be funded for state of the art speech recognition technology, though hopefully by the time Chris needs it , it will be available for everyone in England and the rest of the UK.
I`ve been told that my blogs sometimes make people cry, that was not my intention. I just want to document our journey and in spite of how it seems, we do still try and live `normally` as best we can, we still as a family, laugh an awful lot. We get excited about our future fundraising plans, because that is the one tangible, positive thing we can do. Every penny raised is a penny towards research and a step nearer a cure. We have a holiday planned too, which we are really looking forward too.
So for now, we have a lot to be grateful for, but there are many others (5000 people, at any one time, have MND in the UK) who are further on in this despicable MND journey and where every day is a struggle for them and their loved ones. So, if you read this and shed a tear, then shed it for them and share this and maybe one more person will learn what MND is about and will support a fund raising cause when they see one. Raising awareness about MND is the one and only reason I write this Blog.
