IT is hard facing up to the future when you have been diagnosed with a terminal disease, but Danny Broomfield is doing just that, with the help of his friends and family.
Last September, Danny, of Barton on Sea, began to notice some muscle weakness in his left arm and hand. He went to his GP, who referred him to a rheumatologist straight away.
A scan in December showed arthritis in Danny's neck, along with some compression in his spine. But further tests revealed that his muscles were showing signs of wasting. He was sent to see a neurologist at Poole Hospital, where more tests were carried out.
"I went back to see the rheuma-tologist who said: `I think you've got motor neurone disease, but don't take my word for it we'll have to seek final diagnosis from a neurologist'," said Danny.
"It smacked me straight between the eyes. When I first had these symptoms, I looked on the internet. I used to drag my left foot slightly, and found that was one of the symptoms of motor neurone disease. It scared me a bit, but at the same time, only two people in 100,000 have the disease. I thought the odds were with me."
But the diagnosis was confirmed by a neurologist at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Danny said: "We walked out of outpatients. It was a beautiful evening, but we'd just had this devastating news. We both had a couple of very stiff brandies when we arrived home. The next thing that comes into your mind is how are you going to tell the family.
"The next couple of days were like living in a vacuum, then you start to think: this is someone else who's got it. I don't think anyone realises what it's like unless they have been or are in this situation."
Danny's wife Melanie said: "All the professionals we've seen have said it's not just Danny's illness, it's our illness. We're both looking over the edge of a cliff into a big black hole." The couple believe Danny's neck pain masked the motor neurone disease. He last worked in January and is now officially retired from his job in the Daily Echo's pre-press department on health grounds.
Since the beginning of the year, he has lost around two stones in weight and the use of his left arm. "Melanie has to do all sorts of things for me now, like helping me get dressed and showered," he said. But father-of-two Danny, who was singer and guitarist in local band Mint Condition, is not about to give in. He goes to a gym at his local sports centre and has a tailor-made programme of physiotherapy to try and slow the progress of the disease.
"Fifty per cent of sufferers don't live longer than 14 months from diagnosis. I don't feel bad about it: I don't feel annoyed that I'm going to die. What does annoy me is that I won't see my four grandchildren grow up," he said.
Danny and Melanie have found support at the East Dorset and New Forest branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. "They're lovely people and have a good sense of humour," he said.
Melanie, who has gone part-time at work to spend more time with her husband, said: "We've been married for 36 years. The sad thing is not having to do things for Danny, but the reason I have to do it."
Danny added: "We're all going to die. It's just that I'm going to go sooner than I would like. A friend of mine died a couple of years ago while he was fishing.
"At least we've got time to arrange for the future and talk things over."
