WHEN Mark Craig's five-year-old son Ben asks him when he will be able to "walk properly", the dad-of-two is reminded of the debilitating illness he is suffering from.

 

Mark had gone to the doctor believing he had a trapped nerve. But he was told he had motor neurone disease (MND) in August 2013 after months of tests.

Since then the terminal condition, which he shares with physicist Stephen Hawking, footballer Fernando Ricksen and political campaigner Gordon Aikman has progressively worsened.

Less than six months ago the 40-year-old was able to walk by himself.

Now he must use a zimmer frame or a wheelchair when he leaves the house.

Mark lives with children Ben and nine-year-old Jessica and his wife Charlene, 34, in a specially adapted home in Castlemilk.

The family's world changed forever when Mark was told the news.

Mark said: "I had a twitch in my arm. I went to my GP and everyone thought it was a trapped nerve.

"But he referred me to the neurology department in Southern General.

"I went there and over the course of about 10 months I got various tests done.

"I remember the day the doctor told me because it was a nice sunny day.

"Myself and my wife were at the ward and he asked us to have a chat in a room.

"The doctor said: 'I think it's motor neurone disease.'

"I had no questions, I was totally shocked."

In the months after, Mark could not accept the diagnosis and thought the doctors had got it wrong.

He said: "There wasn't much except the twitch and a weakness in my arm.

"There was nothing that made me think it was that serious."

However, the impact began to hit Mark when he began reading up extensively on MND and his muscles started weakening.

Mark was forced to give up driving because he feared he would cause an accident behind the wheel.

"As time went on, wee bits started to happen," he said. "I had a few falls. I found it hard to lift my laptop and my phone.

"Day to day tasks have become a lot more difficult to do."

Mark, a business analyst for Royal Bank of Scotland, found it difficult to go to his office and was allowed to work from home.

Before he had MND Mark worked long hours.

Now his priorities have changed.

He said: "Since I've been diagnosed I'm more likely to do things with my family, to enjoy time with the kids. You realise what's important in life.

"At the time I was doing a lot of work - 7am until 7pm sometimes.

"I hardly saw the kids and Charlene.

"Now I want to see my kids and my wife. It made me realise I have to spend more time with them while I can."

Mark says the support from his family gets him through difficult days.

He said: "My daughter Jessica understands, she's read the booklets. She's very caring.

"My son's just a wee character. Ben's a joker. If you're feeling down he'll do something.

"At the moment Ben keeps saying to me: 'Dad, when you going to walk properly?'"

Mark worries about the effect of his MND on Charlene, who he married in 2003.

He said: "It's really hard on Charlene watching me go through this.

"There's not much we can do with it. Ultimately she can't take it away from me."

Mark has been told the average life expectancy for an MND sufferer is between three and five years.

He said: "I'm now over 18 months so I'm half way through the lifespan.

"But there's no definite answer.

"I used to set myself wee targets. One of the targets was when Ben went to school and I hit that target.

"There's not much point in saying 'I want this in five years' because in five years time who knows what's going to happen."

But he is hopeful that a cure will be found for MND in the future. Mark says the work of fellow MND sufferer Gordon Aikman, who was diagnosed when he was 29-years-old, has been "fantastic".

Mark added: "I knew nothing about MND until the diagnosis - I knew Stephen Hawkins, Jimmy Johnstone and Fernando Ricksen had it, but there's not much out there."

He said the ice bucket challenge, a craze which slept through the world last year to raise awareness and money for MND, was beneficial for the cause.

Mark's family and friends have also made an effort to raise money for charity MND Scotland whenever they can.

Mark said: "It's not as a common as cancer but it's just as devastating who people have it."

The family praised the work of MND Scotland.

Charlene said: "They've been brilliant with us. It is difficult but we just try to do the best we can."