Balance issues were just the beginning of a series of symptoms for this Nottinghamshire mum
Laura at her 40th birthday celebrations (cc: submitted)(Image: submitted)
A Nottinghamshire mum has revealed how balance issues and a twitchy leg led to her being given an “absolutely devastating” diagnosis.
Laura Fitt’s symptoms began with a series of falls on holiday that then rapidly progressed into wider twitchiness in her leg.
As the 40-year-old’s symptoms continued to deteriorate, she was diagnosed with a form of motor neurone disease (MND) and is now trying to reorganise her life after the “devastating” diagnosis.
Laura, who lives in Sutton in Ashfield, has worked in healthcare since she was 18, and was working as a senior staff nurse for Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust prior to her diagnosis.
She first noticed her symptoms while in New York with her husband John last year, when she fell over multiple times – which Laura put down to the amount of walking they were doing.
But, after returning from New York, Laura’s symptoms continued to worsen, with the mum-of-four experiencing twitching in her left leg and more falls.
“My symptoms were getting worse and worse,” she said. “Then I noticed that I needed to be holding onto something to be able to have my balance and I thought I best go to the GP and get this sorted.”
After a lengthy diagnosis process, including multiple MRIs, an electromyography and a nerve conduction test, Laura was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a type of MND.
ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord which leads to a loss of muscle control.
Worries for Laura mainly centre on her four children: Ellis, Gabriella, Alex and Harmony.
Laura Fitt and her family (cc: submitted)(Image: Submitted)
She and John have a special guardianship order for Ellis and Harmony and Laura adopted Alex before she met her husband in 2012.
Alex, 15, has his own disabilities, including septo-optic dysplasia, autism, and developmental delay and Laura is particularly worried about his understanding of her condition and prognosis.
She said: “With Alex, it’s sort of his level of understanding, I don’t want him to think that when I do die, I’ve just abandoned him.
“Nobody’s ever gonna look after your children as good as you are.”
Laura, who describes herself as the “organiser of everything”, now worries about how the family will cope without her.
She said: “It’s just absolutely devastating because I always have been sort of the organiser of everything.
“Sorting any appointments or interactions with professionals it’s always been me that does everything, I’m the main cog, if you like, making sure everything’s ticking over.”
John, Laura’s husband, is a stay-at-home dad and has been looking after the four children full-time since 2024 to allow Laura to pursue her studies.
John said: “I was just hoping for anything other than that and then finding out it was that, was quite devastating.”
“She’s the mum to everybody. She’ll do anything for anybody.
“She’s an amazing mum. The kids don’t want for anything, they’ll get everything they want.”
To get her diagnosis, Laura had to go for a private consultation – a move that cost £250.
ALS causes muscle weakness, twitching, cramps and difficulty speaking and swallowing – all of which Laura has, or is beginning to, experience.
She said: “My mobility’s really poor, I’ve had to have a stairlift fitted in our home.
“I sort of shuffle and I can shuffle a few steps and then I need to sit down. I feel tired a lot, I find that when I do stand up to move, I just feel extremely weak, like I could fall over all the time.
“My swallow at meal times is getting particularly bad.”
Outside the house Laura has to use an electric wheelchair – that she had to buy herself at a cost of £1,015.
The stairlift they had installed in the house cost the family £999.
She is currently on medication to try and slow down the condition, but as a nurse herself knows the condition will only get worse.
Now Laura’s focus is spending quality time with her husband and their children while she is still able to. To make the most of this time left, the family have set up a GoFundMe page, asking for donations towards making memories, paying for care and providing her family with financial security after she has passed.
Laura said: “I do not want people to think I’m just trying to cash in because I’ve been diagnosed with something.
“I am so grateful to everybody that’s helping me and supporting me.”
So far, the fundraiser has already raised £2,000.
Anyone who wants to donate to the family’s fundraiser, can click the following link.