MOTOR neurone disease hit the headlines when it was revealed comedian Ronnie Corbett had been battling the condition just before he died.

For Glasgow mum Karen Eadie, the reality of living with this terrible illness is much closer to home.

Her mum, Moira, was diagnosed with MND in March.

On Saturday, May 14, Karen is taking part in the MND Scotland Fun Run in Strathclyde Park in a bid to raise much-needed funds for the charity.

But the 30-year-old, who has a 15-week-old baby daughter, is also determined to raise awareness of the condition, which affects hundreds of people in Scotland.

“MND is a disease that I think gets overlooked and that needs to stop,” says Karen, who is from Giffnock.

“There seems to be so much more awareness and research for conditions like cancer.

“I want to help find a cure for this devastating illness and that’s why I’m doing the Fun Run.”

MND is a terminal illness which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles.

This can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, eat, speak and breathe unaided.

Moira, a retired senior health manager for the blood donor service, has a form of MND where the ability to speak is affected first.

“My mum started experiencing symptoms in September when she noticed changes in her speech, and went to the doctor to get tested for a stroke,” explains Karen.

“When they came back negative she thought it was possible she had MND because her father passed away from the disease when he was 55, so she already knew a lot about the illness.

“From Christmas time her speech started to noticeably deteriorate but she still hadn’t been told what the problem was. This was really hard because we knew something was wrong, we just didn’t know what. Six to seven months is a long time to wait for any results.

“When she finally got her diagnosis in March we were heartbroken.”

Karen admits: “I think having just had Ellie, my emotions were already heightened and it was a lot to handle at once.

“In the beginning it was difficult for everyone to accept, especially for my mum.”

Karen pauses. “My mum has always been the talker in the family so I think struggling with her speech has been the most challenging part so far,” she adds.

“She’s lost some of her confidence and although she can still speak, I have noticed she has taken a step back from conversations in big groups.

“The hardest part for me is not being able to tell her everything is going to be okay.”

With the shock of the diagnosis behind them however, Karen says, the family is starting to make plans for the summer.

“My mum is making plans with family and friends, booking holidays and trips, to make sure she enjoys life to the fullest,” she nods.

“We have a family holiday organised for the summer in Spain. My brother will also be there with his two daughters. We’ll have three kids under the age of four, so I’m not sure how relaxing it will be! But we are really looking forward to getting some time away together as a family.”

For now, though, Karen is concentrating on Saturday’s event. People can walk, jog or run the four or six-mile route around the loch.

She is taking part with her close friend, Joanne Sinclair, whose mum passed away from MND six years ago.

Karen explains: “Joanne has been amazing. She was one of the first people I told about my mum. It is really helpful to talk to someone who has been in the same situation.

“Joanne was also the one who told me about MND Scotland’s Fun Run and as soon as she mentioned it I wanted to sign up. I want to do something positive and help in any way I can.

“All my friends have been amazing. I have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity. I originally set my fundraising target for £500 but exceeded this in 24 hours and now I’ve already reached £1300.”

Iain McWhirter, Head of Fundraising and Volunteering at MND Scotland, said: “This is a very difficult time for Karen and her family, and MND Scotland is here to support them during this journey.

“There are more than 450 people in Scotland living with MND and on average around 160 new cases of MND are diagnosed each year.

“We have a communications equipment loan service, which can help people stay connected to their loved ones and we also offer other support, including one-to-one counselling, complementary therapy, support groups, benefits advice and more.”

Karen adds: “I know that it is likely the illness runs in my family but I don’t want to know if I have the gene – not right now anyway.

“The thing that worries me the most is - what if Ellie has the gene and what if there is still no treatment or cure when she is older? Taking part on Saturday is something I can do now to help change that.”

For more information or to sign up visit www.mndscotland.org.uk. If you want to donate, visit Karen’s JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/karen-eadie.