Kerry and her mother Rosaleen
Sadly Rosaleen died in September. Kerry talks about the progression of her mum Rosaleen's MND.
As MND is rare, we didn’t know anyone else living with it. In May 2006 my dad and I noticed that mum was slurring her words. After a few weeks, I plucked up the courage to mention it to her. She was a very proud person, who was very active. She loved walking and dancing.
Mum finally admitted that something wasn’t right. She told me she’d been having uncontrollable bouts of crying for no apparent reason. Our GP referred her to a neurologist and she had tests in hospital. He said MND was the most likely cause as her speech was getting worse and she was having problems swallowing.
As MND is rare, we didn’t know anyone else living with it. After two years, her symptoms are gradually getting worse. She can no longer use her legs and needs a suction machine for the greater part of each day.
The support from our community Speech Therapists, Physiotherapists, OTs and mum’s Social Worker have been wonderful, but recently she has been admitted to a wonderful nursing home, as my dad Columba is 73 and not able to care for all her needs. I’m glad she’s close to home so we can see her several times a day.
I would like other people with loved ones to know that we all share the same heart-breaking pain watching our loved ones slowly wither with this awful disease.
