A Scots family have been left heartbroken after watching their beloved dad deteriorate over nine-months after a devastating 'death sentence' diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Peter Sommerville, 60, from Wishaw, died on February 4 of this year - just nine-months after being told he had the condition when his terrified daughter phoned an ambulance as he screamed in pain.
MND is an uncommon condition that affects the brain and nerves. Those who are diagnosed become increasingly disabled as the illness takes over the body.
There is currently no cure for MND and the average life-expectancy after diagnosis is one to five years.
Peter's three daughters, Louise, 37, Nicole, 31, and Danielle, 26, have been left distraught after his death as their grief still feels 'raw' with bed-bound mum Jeanette, 60, even sometimes forgetting the loss.
The family faced a heart-wrenching struggle as their dad's "body crumbled but his mind stayed sharp as a tack" while his wife of 35-years continued to recover from a stroke she two years earlier.
Speaking to the Record, Louise said: "From his diagnosis, we thought every day he was dying. We didn't know how fast it was progressing.
"Towards the end, me and my sisters had to feed him his meals. The first time, for each of us, was the hardest and we had to feed this big, strong guy who was our dad.
"His hands were caving in and getting stuck. He found it harder each day to the point he lost movement from his shoulders to elbows. In the end he lost full movement in his hands and arms.
"My dad was a very proud and independent guy so it took him a while to get his head around it. It was hard for him to let us help.
"Every day my dad woke up and he knew that he was dying but he had to keep waking up as he got worse.
"We had to watch as it ripped through my dad's body. I still can't believe he's not here - it is still so raw.
"He told his MND nurse that the worst part of the disease was putting us through it.
"We always had the hope that one day we would turn on the TV and there would be a news story saying there had been a breakthrough. We could give my dad a pill and he would be better.
"I tried everything I could think of to help but in the end, MND is a death sentence, it is incurable."
Peter was admitted to hospital with a chest infection in January, after his MND diagnosis on May 6, 2021, and he then developed pneumonia.
When he recovered he asked to be transferred to St Andrew's Hospice in Airdrie where he died in his sleep with his family by his side on February 4.
His daughters now want to raise awareness of the cruel condition that left their dad bed bound as they come to terms with the devastating loss.
Before diagnosis, Rangers fan Peter loved getting out and about in his car.
He would be the first to offer help, Louise said, as he enjoyed weekend trips away with the grandkids before wife Jeanette's stroke.
His initial symptoms included back pain and he started to see a chiropractor as he believed he had a slipped disc.
He soon suffered mobility issues, often falling, as he lost the grip in his hand and then experienced numbing sensations.
Peter had been saving up for his own funeral, as well as his wife's, but the family were forced to use his savings to buy extensive equipment, such as a special bed, so could be comfortable at home.
Luckily they were able to receive a grant for his funeral but have been left with no money for a headstone.
"We go to the grave regularly but we are desperate for a headstone," Louise said.
"It doesn't feel real without one - we feel like it's not finished and are struggling to come to terms with the loss.
"We want to do this one last thing for him."
Louise has set up a fundraising page to help pay for Peter's headstone and donations can be made by clicking here.
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