A heartbroken Stirlingshire widow is warning people to be aware of the signs of the disease that caused her husband’s death less than a fortnight after he was diagnosed.
John Clark, 41, from Doune, died on January 27 in Forth Valley Royal Hospital.
It happened just 12 days after doctors had diagnosed him with motor neurone disease (MND) – a condition that affects the brain and nerves.
His widow Claire, 43, says the death of her husband – a lifelong St Johnstone fan – came as a total shock.
Death of St Johnstone fan ‘a complete shock’ after MND diagnosis
After leaving the hospital at 8am to go home for a shower, she received a call to say John had died in his sleep.
Claire said: “It was a bolt out of the blue – a complete shock.
“I had been speaking to John before I went home and was planning to head back shortly but he passed away about an hour after I got home.
“I knew he wasn’t going to get better but I thought he was coming home. I was getting things ready for him.
“We honestly believed he would get home and I would manage long-term care for him – we never expected him to die so soon.”
Claire now wants to warn others of the potential signs of MND, saying that in John’s case, his symptoms did not follow the “expected pattern”.
Claire says John, a factory worker, started complaining of sore legs about two years ago and went to the doctor.
“Initially they thought he had a virus and then they thought it was functional neurological disorder (FND),” she said.
“Although he did have some of the symptoms of MND, they weren’t consistent and didn’t follow the expected pattern.
“He would complain of sore legs but it was intermittent so doctors didn’t think initially it was MND.
“However, John’s gran had MND and I think that sometimes he knew himself what it was.”
Last July, John had just returned from a holiday in Turkey when he started being sick.
Claire said: “He was saying they (his legs) felt heavy.
“He felt numb from his knee to his waist.
“The doctor said it could just be muscular – then the sickness returned.”
‘I want people to be aware of what happened to John’
In September, John went to see a neurologist who mentioned FND, which is not usually life-threatening.
However, by the end of December, his condition had deteriorated and the couple called a doctor – who phoned an ambulance.
Medics then began looking again at the possibility he had MND before he was diagnosed and he never left hospital.
Claire added: “I would really like other people to be aware of what happened to John so they can take action more quickly if they are worried.”
- The NHS has advice on the symptoms of MND and what to do if you think you might have the disease. You can also find out more on the MND Scotland website.
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