THE WORDS, when they finally came, were devastatingly brief and brutal.

After months of tests and misdiagnoses, Moira and Jimmy Gilmour’s worst fears were confirmed.

Moira had Motor Neurone Disease.

“They told us if we had anything we still wanted to do together, to do it in the next six months,” recalls Moira, sadly. “My initial reaction was - this is it, this is my last Christmas.

“All I could think about what was what I needed to get done before I was gone.”

Moira, 63, and Jimmy, 66, from Newton Mearns, have made the courageous decision to share their story during MND Awareness Week.

MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This may cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink or breathe unaided.

The disease hit the headlines recently, when it was revealed that Scottish rugby great Doddie Weir and former Rangers star Fernando Ricksen have been diagnosed with it.

Moira Gilmour was diagnosed in 2015.

She explains: “I used to go walking at least once a week with a friend, but in 2012 I noticed that I was dragging my left leg and I was getting pains in my back. I went to the GP and I was referred to the hospital for a hip replacement.”

After a year, the problem persisted, so Moira was referred to a neurologist for more tests.

They revealed MND. – but doctors told her it could be Multiple Sclerosis, plunging the couple back into uncertainty.

Jimmy recalls: “We went on holiday, just to get away from hospitals, doctors and the stress of dealing with it all.

“By the time we came back, we had decided to celebrate because we thought – well, we can live with MS longer than we can live with MND.”

The couple’s relief was shortlived, when shortly after having a lumbar puncture test which examines fluid in the spine, Moira was told she had MND.

The whole family – Jimmy’s two daughters from a previous relationship, the couple’s six grandchildren and Moira’s sister and her family – were devastated.

In the six months that followed, Moira and Jimmy planned her funeral.

“It was hard,” says Jimmy. “I was worrying about what I would do once Moira was gone.”

Moira’s condition has progressed much more slowly than originally anticipated. But on top of dealing with her diagnosis, Moira has also noticed a lack of understanding about MND.

Moira and Jimmy have been supported by MND Scotland, which is running a ‘myth-busting’ campaign to help highlight some of the misconceptions and lack of awareness that exist around MND.

Moira explains: “I fell and broke my leg at Christmas, and in hospital, there didn’t seem to be a great deal of understanding of MND, or what I could and couldn’t do for myself.

“When you’re left alone you quickly realise there is not a lot you can do. I had to explain again and again, as nurses changed.”

Jimmy agrees. “I think there’s a lot of confusion around MND generally.

“I did a lifting and handling course with the local council, and they kept telling me I was doing it wrong.

“They didn’t understand that because of Moira’s condition, I can’t lift her certain ways, as she has no feeling or movement in her legs and her entire body is very fatigued.

“I had to tell them that MND is totally different from a stroke.”

Craig Stockton, CEO of MND Scotland, said: “During MND Awareness Week, we’re running a new campaign to help tackle some of the misconceptions and stigmas around MND and I would like to thank Moira for bravely sharing her story.

“We hope this will give people an insight into MND, its emotional and physical impact and how people affected by MND often need to be treated with patience and extra support.”

For Moira and Jimmy, the challenges continue but they are taking each day as it comes.

“It’s a very tough thing to hear that you might only have a matter of months left to live, “ says Moira.

“But if I could go back in time, I would have listened to the doctor.

“I would have gone on more holidays, like visiting Jimmy’s daughter in Canada.”

She adds: “But it really took us six months to get our heads around it. But by that time I was more disabled - so it became difficult to plan trips abroad.”

Visit mndscotland.org.uk/MNDAware for more information.