A WIDOW has put pen to paper and detailed her experience of caring for her husband who died from motor neurone disease (MND).
Hazel Carter from Solihull has shared the difficulties of their adventures, the challenges of caring for Alan who died in 2019 aged 64 and her own thoughts and feelings in her book Life’s Good – It’s the disease that’s the problem.
It will be released on June 21, what would have been Alan’s birthday, and all proceeds will go to Marie Curie, MND Association, and Myton Hospice – the three charities that supported the couple.
In 2017 not long after their third wedding anniversary, Alan was diagnosed with the degenerative, incurable condition, MND.
Hazel said: “Alan’s only symptom at first was a weak right arm but he was diagnosed with MND with a prognosis of six months to two years to live.
“Despite the devastating news we did everything we could, while we could.
“I made it my mission to make Alan’s life as happy as it had ever been before he got the disease.”
Within 12 months he became completely paralysed and couldn’t move any part of his body himself, he was on a ventilator within six months as his breathing muscles started to weaken and ended up being fed by a tube in his tummy as swallowing muscles stopped working.
She added: “Alan wanted me to tell our story and this book is dedicated to him and the invisible heroes – family members and friends, who selflessly give of themselves every day, caring for a loved one they cannot save.
“Along the way, we had tremendous support from Marie Curie, because our multi-disciplinary care team meetings were based at the Solihull hospice.
“We saw a bereavement counsellor and psychologist there, as well as complementary therapists and our MND nurse.
“I cannot praise the staff at Marie Curie enough. I think without their support I’d have gone insane, and Alan would not have had the quality of care he deserved. His last two months of life were in Marie Curie Solihull. I was with him the moment he died.”
Fiona Dawes, occupational therapist at the Marie Curie Hospice in Solihull said: “The hospice was there to support both Alan and Hazel throughout their MND journey. They both accessed many of the services at the hospice – as an inpatient, outpatient and in the community.
“The hospice is really grateful for any donations to the Hospice through the sale of the book as it will enable us to continue to provide support for others in a similar position.”
For more or to get your copy click here.
