A man "who loved life" died surrounded by his friends and family after a devastating diagnosis.
Chris Rimmer, from Aintree, was told he had Motor Neurone Disease when he was just 32. The 38-year-old died peacefully in April last year.
Speaking previously to the ECHO, Chris said he first spotted symptoms in early 2014. The fit and healthy man noticed twitching in his arms and certain exercises he'd "done for years started to feel harder".
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Chris said: "I didn't think it was anything serious so I just cracked on as normal. It was in early 2015 when I noticed my fingers began to feel weak. I was starting to struggle tying my shoelaces and doing my buttons. It was then I realised I might have something more serious wrong."
Chris' mum Brenda Rimmer, 65, said her son's symptoms progressed over the years and he was unable to walk, lost the ability to swallow and required a 24/7 life support ventilation. Despite his battles with the cruel disease, Chris was a tireless Motor Neurone Disease campaigner and always wanted to help others.
Paying tribute to her son, Brenda said: "Chris loved life. He was such a happy person and always wanted to help people. He enjoyed Liverpool FC with his life. He was a supporter there until he joined the RAF and had to give his season ticket up. He was in the RAF for nine years and served two tours in Afghanistan and he totally enjoyed that.
"The day he was leaving I always remember him saying to me 'this is what I've always wanted to do mum' and I was heartbroken because he was going off to Afghanistan. He thoroughly enjoyed his time in RAF and met so many of friends and just loved it."
Chris met his partner Sara while they both worked in Cyprus and the 38-year-old went on to join the security forces over in Afghanistan. He eventually made his way up to managing the fire station.
Brenda said he loved his job and "kept working for as long as he could", however Chris' function in his hands was the first to go and he was unable to use a laptop.
She added: "In the end he came home and his partner came home with him and they went travelling together round the world while they could still travel. He came back home and lived with me because I had lost my husband in November 2014 and Chris was diagnosed in the June 2015.
"It was a bit of a double blow for me but then Chris came home and lived with me and he slowly progressed. I had my house adapted for him and he stayed here until he passed away. It was what he always wanted. He didn't want to go into the hospice. He just wanted to be home with all his family and friends.
"The carers we had, they were amazing with him, absolutely amazing. This disease is the worst thing I have ever known because he was just totally trapped in his body. His mind was so alert." Chris set up a Facebook group called MND Warriors, a support group for others with the disease. Brenda said Chris was always researching the illness and passing on anything that could help other people.
Brenda added: "All he ever wanted to do was to help people because we found when he was first diagnosed it was so low key and no one really knew what to do. We were totally struggling and trying to get help from anywhere we could and it was such a hard struggle we had.
"Chris thought 'well I have got try to help people now that were on the same path as me' and that's what he did."
Chris and close friend, former Liverpool, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers footballer Stephen Darby, partnered together to launch the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
Stephen was also diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and they both formed the foundation to create awareness of MND, to fund and assist research into the illness with the quest of finding a cure, to raise funds and offer grants to those with MND, as well as creating a network to help provide information and an emotional support network for those diagnosed with the disease.
It has raised more than £1m. Just recently the foundation set up the Chris Rimmer grant in memory of the campaigner which will help other people with the disease with things such as adapting their home. Brenda said it was "his legacy".
On Sunday, March 26, 150 walkers, including Brenda, will take to the streets on a 21-mile trek starting and ending at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium and visiting Everton FC, Marine AFC, Aintree Racecourse and Liverpool Football Club’s AXA Training Centre along the way. Their aim is to raise over £20,000 for the foundation. Their key motivation is to pay tribute to Chris.
The walk is called "Roads 4 Rimmer" - to donate, please click here.
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