MUM PUT MS SYMPTOMS DOWN TO SIMPLY 'AGE AND STRESS'

A MUM has told how her future plans were turned upside down when what she thought was stress turn out to be a life-changing condition.

- By SAMANTHA LEATHERS

Claire McDonald was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis after dismissing symptoms in her 40s

Claire McDonald was a corporate professional driven by her work and full family life, with hopes of enjoying “more freedom, less worry” once her children were out of the house.

But her future plans, family finances and even her “sense of purpose” came crashing down when she was diagnosed with incurable primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) - a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the brain and spinal cord.

Claire said: “MS has taken things from me I can’t get back. Things that I miss dearly, like walking for miles in the sunshine and fresh air, having races with my now grownup children to the top of the hill near our house, going out on my own to the shop, even just leaving the house.

“I live with physical pain, complete exhaustion, discomfort, walking with crutches or using a wheelchair, uncertainty, and the inability to plan far ahead.