A MAN has described his mother's heartbreaking battle with a degenerative disease which has left her so weak she struggles to hold a glass of water.

Glen Marshall, 46, is looking to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease after his mother, Shelia, was diagnosed with the condition in 2019.

Three years after her diagnosis Mr Marshall now says that his mother is wheelchair-bound and struggles with many basic tasks.

Mr Marshall, from Brighton, said: “My mum was the first on the dance floor and she was a brilliant mum, grandmother and wife.

“It’s horrible. What I have witnessed in the last three years is horrendous.

“Unless you know anyone with it I don’t think there’s enough awareness. It breaks your heart to see it, it’s just a downward spiral.”

The Argus: Glen with mum Sheila in 2012, seven years before she was diagnosed with MND.Glen with mum Sheila in 2012, seven years before she was diagnosed with MND.

Glen says that his family first noticed that Sheila was beginning to struggle in 2017 when she started walking with a limp.

After talking to doctors about the possibility of Motor Neurone Disease she was eventually diagnosed two years later, around the same time that Glen's father died.

Around 5,000 people suffer from MND in the UK, with most of those diagnosed developing symptoms in their 60s.

The Argus: Sheila, 72, has suffered with MND for three years.Sheila, 72, has suffered with MND for three years.

Sheila, 72, struggles with the degenerative disease which causes a gradual loss of muscle function.

Glen is now looking to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease by doing a sponsored walk from Worthing Pier to Palace Pier in Brighton.

So far he has also raised around £1,500 in his first week of fundraising.

Mr Marshall said: “If there is a cure in the next year it will be too late for mum but if someone further down the line can benefit then it’s brilliant.”

A spokeswoman for the MND Association said: "Support like this from Glen and others ensures the MND Association is there for people affected by MND - helping to improve their care and support, campaigning on their behalf and funding vital research to ensure we achieve our vision - a world free from MND.

"We are absolutely thrilled that Glen is undertaking a sponsored walk in aid of the MND Association."