{"id":111850,"date":"2025-09-03T16:04:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T16:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/111850\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T16:04:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T16:04:14","slug":"dad-wants-you-to-see-the-reality-of-his-diagnosis-in-painful-pictures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/111850\/","title":{"rendered":"Dad wants you to see the reality of his diagnosis in painful pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"

David has been given two to four years to liveNeil Shaw<\/a> Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)<\/p>\n

07:01, 03 Sep 2025<\/p>\n

\"DavyDavy is now 80% dependent on his wife Claire<\/p>\n

A father-of-two who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), meaning his \u201cbody is dying day by day\u201d, is calling for more funding and research into a cure for \u201cthis horrific disease\u201d. David Scott, 60, from Leicestershire, was diagnosed with MND \u2013 a terminal, progressive neurological condition which causes muscle weakness \u2013 in February 2024 after he started struggling with his speech.<\/p>\n

A former construction manager and avid footballer and golfer, David, known as Davy, said his knowledge of MND was limited at the time, but he \u201cknew it was a terminal illness\u201d and was given two to four years to live. Davy said it has taken away the job he loved, his ability to eat, meaning he has lost five stone, and his ability to have a conversation \u2013 and in the next month or so, he believes he will no longer be able to walk.<\/p>\n

He uses a feeding tube for food and medication, along with an iPad as a communication aid, and he said he is \u201c80% dependent on his wife Claire and (his) carers\u201d. However, Davy, who has two children \u2013 Nathan, 34, and Megan, 24 \u2013 is determined to \u201chelp as many MND sufferers and their families as possible\u201d and, using the power of photography, has created a portfolio to showcase the realities of his diagnosis, such as pictures of him using his feeding tube.<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Scott was diagnosed in February 2024 after he started struggling with his speech<\/p>\n

He told PA Real Life: \u201cIt\u2019s an emotional rollercoaster as you have good days and bad days. \u201cHowever, the hardest thing to deal with is the frustration. You know what you want to do, you know what you want to say, but you can\u2019t. Your body is dying day by day, bit by bit, and you have no control over what direction it takes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are days and nights where I cry and ask, \u2018Why me, but why not me?\u2019, but there are no answers. There are times when you wish you were not here and not causing the pain and suffering that your family and friends are going through because of my illness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Edinburgh, Davy was a keen footballer and said he had trials with the Hearts and Hibs clubs in the Scottish capital, with now-retired football manager Alex Ferguson<\/a> even knocking at his door when he was \u201ca young lad\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, he went on to become a joiner, working for various companies and as a construction manager, and in his spare time he enjoyed seeing friends and was \u201calways up for a laugh\u201d. Before his MND diagnosis, Davy said he had experienced \u201cno health problems and was relatively fit\u201d, until he started having chest pains in 2021.<\/p>\n

\"DavyDavy wants people to see the reality of his condition<\/p>\n

Although he was \u201cgiven the all-clear\u201d at hospital at the time, he said follow-up appointments led doctors to believe he had a \u201cslight narrowing\u201d of one of the main valves in his heart. In June 2023, however, a friend thought Davy had experienced a minor stroke as his speech was slightly slurred, but when he called for medical advice, he claims a receptionist accused him of \u201cdrinking\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ended up going private, but I did have my appointment with my heart consultant in November 2023,\u201d Davy explained. After some tests she did with me at the time of my appointment, she confirmed that there was something wrong and that I needed to see a neurologist ASAP.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said that I had tried to explain this without success and was accused of drinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

After being referred to see a specialist by his GP, Davy underwent further tests and scans and was told on February 20 2024 that he had MND. Apart from seeing the occasional clip on TV about former rugby league<\/a> player Rob Burrow, who died of MND in June 2024, Davy said he knew \u201cnothing\u201d about the condition.<\/p>\n

\"HeHe requires constant medical and social care<\/p>\n

\u201cI had undergone a couple of tests and I just knew that it wasn\u2019t going to be good news,\u201d Davy explained. \u201cLuckily, my wife Claire was with me at the time when I was told. You could have blown me down with a feather. I knew it was a terminal illness and there was no cure or treatment, so I asked the question, \u2018How long do I have to live?\u2019, and I was told between two to four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI called family and broke the news, and Claire and I met my mate Justin and his wife Karen in the pub and discussed my future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davy has described the toll of his diagnosis as \u201ca living nightmare\u201d. Previously 15 stone, Davy now weighs around 10 stone, and said he can no longer talk, eat or drink by mouth.<\/p>\n

He stopped working in October 2024 as he was finding it harder to speak, and now relies heavily on Claire and his carers. Davy said he is taking the standard medication, receives support from Loros Hospice and The Matt Hampson Foundation and sometimes has an appointment with a speech therapist and dietitian.<\/p>\n

However, he feels there needs to be more \u201cspecialist support\u201d for MND patients. \u201cThe mental and emotional battles that I have on a daily basis (are the greatest challenges),\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\"DavyDavy says there are times he wishes he wasn’t here<\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep things to yourself as you don\u2019t want to worry others, and with my disability and mobility, you know that it\u2019s only going to become worse. The lack of knowledge within the healthcare system and lack of support from the Government (is another challenge).<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want others and their families and friends to go through what my family, friends and I are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davy said he and others have raised around \u00a360,000 to help support MND research and the MND Association charity with events including walks, golf<\/a> days, cycling and a music festival. With the support of a professional photographer, Davy has captured honest pictures about what every day looks like with MND to help raise awareness.<\/p>\n

His portfolio includes images of him being fed through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube, which carries liquid food straight into a person\u2019s stomach, and using equipment to help him breathe. Davy explained: \u201cThey say a photo can say a thousand words.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pain and the suffering come through the photos. MND has been devastating for me and my family, it has been aggressive, and the only way to show the impact it has had on me is through these pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DavyDavy was a keen footballer and said he had trials with the Hearts and Hibs<\/p>\n

Davy said he has \u201calways been the first to help others when required\u201d and is now urging others to \u201cenjoy life\u201d and make happy memories, as life is short. He is calling on the Government for greater support, funding and research into MND, as he does not \u201cwant anyone else to go through what (he\u2019s) going through now\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI may not have long left to live, but I\u2019m not just going to sit and wait. \u201cThe Government needs to contribute more into helping find a cure for this horrific disease. It\u2019s not down to one person, it\u2019s down to all of us working together as a team.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether we can and we will make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: \u201cDavid\u2019s sad experience, as his condition has progressively worsened, shows how cruel motor neurone disease can be. It has a devastating impact on people\u2019s lives and we are determined to find a cure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Government will continue to fund high-quality research into motor neurone disease through the National Institute for Health and Care Research.\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out more, visit Davy\u2019s website at mymnd.co.uk<\/a> or the MND Association website at mndassociation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For mental health support, call the Samaritans for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"David has been given two to four years to liveNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle) 07:01, 03…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,2750,2196,1906,3900,8083,53951,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-111850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-heart-disease","11":"tag-hospitals","12":"tag-mental-health","13":"tag-motor-neurone-disease","14":"tag-prescriptions","15":"tag-rob-burrow","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}