STRENGTH TO GO ON

Dawn Pick was getting used to life as a busy new mum in 2003 when she realised her hands and feet had suddenly become numb. “I went to drive my car one day and realised I couldn’t feel the pedals. I went to my GP and was back and forth for about six weeks but didn’t get any answers. One doctor said, ‘Oh, it’s Raynaud’s – a disease that causes numbness in the hands and feet in response to cold temperatures or stress – and there’s nothing we can do.’

“I had a six-month-old baby, my husband was working 12-hour shifts and we didn’t have any family around, so I just got on with it. After that episode, my symptoms went away for a bit, so I put it to the back of mind.”

In 2012, Dawn began having problems walking long distances. “I went back to my GP and they brushed it off again, but over the next two years my mobility got worse. One day, I was out shopping and starting limping, which was nothing new, but the next day it hadn’t gone away. The day after that I got up for work and my leg just gave way.

“I went back to the doctor and explained I had wasting in my lower ankle. She said I needed an artificial hip. I told her I didn’t – my mother-in-law had one and I knew her symptoms – and asked her to look at my ankle. She had a look, said it was fine, then continued with her theory.”

Over the next few years, Dawn struggled to keep up with her daily routine. “In 2015, I was sent to occupational health because I could no longer do my job, which involved pushing wheelchairs and lifting a child with special needs, as I needed a stick. I spoke to an amazing nurse and described everything to her and she said, ‘You’re describing spinal damage. You need to go back to your GP now. This is serious.’

“I got an emergency appointment and saw a doctor who had spent time on a neurological unit. He agreed it was spinal damage and said he needed to make some calls. Six weeks later, I had an MRI.”

Dawn was told they were going to do an MRI of her brain just to rule things out, which would take about 20 minutes. “I ended up being in the machine for an hour and a half. About five minutes into my brain scan, I could see there were a lot of phone calls and people coming in and out, so I knew they had found something. I wasn’t surprised as my husband and I had felt for a while that I either had a brain tumour or MS. He had come with me to the appointment convinced I had a brain tumour and wasn’t coming home because I had had it for so long.”

After the MRI, Dawn was sent home to wait for the results. “The next day the doctor rang and told me there had been changes to my brain. I asked if it was a tumour and he said, ‘No, it’s MS.’ I reacted calmly and he said, ‘This isn’t going the way I thought it would.’ I told him I knew it was either MS or a tumour and with MS I was going to see my kids grow up.

“I was relieved to finally have the diagnosis so I could rule out something more serious. It also meant I could finallyget some answers. The hard thing was
knowing they couldn’t tell me how it would progress and when things would happen as there’s no set path.” Shortly after her diagnosis, Dawn was given the details for the Neuro Therapy Centre by her physiotherapist. “I gave them a phone call, then a visit, and it was one of the best things I ever did.

“I have a progressive form of MS and it’s at a stage where they can’t stop the damage with medication; all they can do is try and relieve my symptoms as much as possible. Because I have spinal damage, everything below my waist is affected to some extent. I get a lot of pain in my legs and my muscles get tight and spasm. It feels like someone has put me in a pair of wellies filled with concrete that I’m trying to pull around, so it’s very hard to walk.

“I initially wanted to go to the centre because the doctor mentioned yoga would be good for managing my symptoms, but once I started going it became a place for friendship and a bit of a lifeline, especially as I found it harder and harder to go out.

“Although I’m positive about my condition, I do get really frustrated when I can’t manage to dos omething – like trying to change my trousers or get out of the car – and I get relapses, so at any time, I can wake up and I’ve lost the use of my legs. The people at the centre really get this and understand if you’re having a bad day.

“I remember going there when my son was having a bad time at school and I was stressed, which makes my symptoms worse, and I burst into tears. The next thing I was putting the world to rights with a staff member over a cup of coffee. That’s what it’s like. It doesn’t matter how bad a day you’re having, you can just go, ‘This is happening, that’s happening, I can’t get my trousers on,’ and every person on some level can empathise with you, because we’re all in the same boat.”

Dawn now attends the centre once or twice a week. “I go down a lot of time just or a coffee and a chat, but also for exercise sessions and sports massage, which have really benefited me physically. I still have a range of movement in my foot, and if I lie on my back the physiotherapist can get my knee to my chest, which is unusual at this stage as the tendons should be too tight and shortened. It also means I can still drive an automatic car, which has really helped me to maintain my independence.

“Both my children – who are 18 and 21 – volunteer at the centre, and that’s got them used to the idea that being in a wheelchair isn’t something bad or to be sad about, so when I started using one, it was nothing new. When you’re out and about you don’t see a lot of people in wheelchairs or struggling to get in and out of a car, so being in an environment where that’s the norm is fantastic.” Dawn is often put in touch with others who are newly diagnosed with MS and she will always tell them about the centre.

“I have met many people where the change is immense – they go from being isolated and scared to happy and relaxed in an environment where they don’t have to explain anything and just feel accepted. It’s a very positive environment and it does change lives. My quality of life would definitely be a lot poorer without it – the centre has given me so much.”

THE CANDIS BIG GIVE AMOUNT RAISED: £20,305

• The Neuro Therapy Centre provides support to people with long-term neurological conditions and their carers.
• It is using the money raised in the Candis Big Give to grow its services and support more people with exercise, physio and mental health.
• Members can have access to the facilities in person and virtually. This includes one-to-one physiotherapy sessions and a variety of group exercise sessions, such as clinical Pilates, circuit and boxing classes. The centre also provides counselling, support calls and peer group support sessions. The centre has an accessible gym, which has a range of equipment to meet members’ needs and where they can work with instructors to an individual exercise plan to help maintain strength, mobility and independence.
• The charity’s services are tailored to support quality of life and maintain independence, giving people with neurological conditions tools to manage the physical and mental symptoms of their condition. It also offers them access to a community of people where they are made to feel welcome and has a regular social calendar of events.
• Visit neurotherapycentre.org or call 01244 678 619 to find out more.