\n Tara Carrick beside an image of mum Claire, who lost her life to MND last year (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara Carrick, 30, lost her mum Claire Mactaggart to the terminal illness and is now urging the public to take part in broader efforts to improve care and research for MND.\n<\/p>\n
\n She has described the final stages of her mother\u2019s illness as “the worst experience of my life”.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara said: “You\u2019re no longer just a daughter, or a husband \u2013 you\u2019re a carer.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The way your relationship changes is one of the hardest parts to get your head around.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara, who competes on the LET Access Tour, is now an ambassador for My Name\u20195 Doddie Foundation, the charity founded by the late Scotland rugby international and MND campaigner Doddie Weir.\n<\/p>\n
\n She is supporting the organisation\u2019s annual Doddie Aid fundraising challenge, which encourages people to take part in physical activity to raise money for MND research and care.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara Carrick, an ambassador for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, at the Renaissance Club (Image: Name’5 Doddie)\n<\/p>\n
\n MND is a life-limiting illness that affects the brain and nerves, leading to progressive muscle weakness. The average life expectancy is 18 months from diagnosis and there is currently no cure and very limited treatment.\n<\/p>\n
\n The first signs of Claire\u2019s illness appeared in January 2024, when she developed slurred speech; Tara initially assumed her mother had had a stroke but she was diagnosed with MND on July 1 that year.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara, who turned professional in 2021, was competing in Sweden at the time; her family \u2013 dad Stuart and older sister Gina \u2013 waited until she returned home to tell her.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara said: “That\u2019s what Doddie had. I knew instantly it was a death sentence.\n<\/p>\n
\n “You never think it will happen to you \u2013 and then, boom, life will never be the same again.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara cried in front of her mum only once, early on, and said that Claire\u2019s response changed how they coped.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara said: \u201cShe told me: \u2018I only get upset because you get upset. Life doesn’t end with my diagnosis and let’s not allow it to take more than it already has’\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cFrom then, we were joyful and happy. That\u2019s how mum wanted to live. The switch flicked.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara described her mum as “the truest heart”, someone who “never complained about anything” \u2013 even as the illness took hold.\n<\/p>\n
\n Claire had been a riding instructor before spending 30 years as an additional support needs assistant, working one-to-one with autistic children.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere\u2019s a tragic irony in it,\u201d Tara said. \u201cShe taught people how to speak and communicate \u2013 and then she lost her own voice.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Claire was also central to Tara\u2019s golf career, alongside dad Stuart, a bloodstock agent in the horseracing industry, with both parents taking her to junior competitions and practice, and then travelling to tournaments and supporting her.\n<\/p>\n
\n Pro golfer Tara Carrick and her mum, Claire, on the European tour (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cShe came to all my tournaments,\u201d Tara said. \u201cShe was always there. She was the chief of snacks, juice \u2013 everything.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n After the diagnosis, Tara wanted to stop competing to focus on her mum\u2019s care, but Claire pushed her to keep playing for as long as possible so they could continue sharing trips and time together.\n<\/p>\n
\n “By me continuing to live my dreams, she could live hers,\u201d Tara said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cEverybody called her Queen Claire. She felt like a queen, because she was a queen.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It makes me really happy that she was able to find joy in continuing to travel with me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara Carrick and her mum, Claire, on Tara’s wedding day (Image: Contributed)\n<\/p>\n
\n As the disease progressed, Tara said it took “one thing after another” from her mum \u2013 speech, swallowing, then the move to soft foods, a feeding tube, the loss of hand movement and mounting exhaustion.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cShe was strong, bold, no [nonsense] from anybody,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd this disease took everything. It makes somebody unrecognisable.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara said that caring for her mother revealed gaps in the health system\u2019s preparedness for MND patients, particularly during medical emergencies.\n<\/p>\n
\n Describing an experience when her mum developed pneumonia last June, Tara said: “We sat in an ambulance outside for two and a half hours, then 10 hours we were in A&E with somebody who has a terminal disease.\n<\/p>\n
\n “That\u2019s what makes it so much more traumatic.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It\u2019s bad enough knowing there\u2019s no cure. Knowing the care, knowledge and understanding of MND isn\u2019t there for everybody makes it worse.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It isn\u2019t good enough.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Claire Mactaggart in hospital with her husband Stuart (Image: Name’5 Doddie)\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara said that while research and the search for treatments remained the ultimate goal, families also needed specialist support “along the road” \u2013 including clear pathways and spaces designed for people with MND so they were not repeatedly pushed through crisis care\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cA cure has to be the ultimate aim, but it will take time to get there,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIn the meantime, there are other, equally important things. People with that diagnosis need to know there\u2019s somewhere they can go.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n She praised the Margaret Kerr palliative care ward at Borders General Hospital for the support given during her mother\u2019s final days.\n<\/p>\n
\n Despite the trauma, Tara said that her mother managed to attend her wedding to her husband Angus on March 29 last year.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cFor one day people forgot about MND,\u201d Tara said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Claire danced all night, even emerging following an outfit change wearing sparkly red trainers with her second dress of the day.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara said: \u201cThe joy in her face, she was beaming.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I was the bride, but she stole the show.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It\u2019s my favourite day ever \u2013 such an honour \u2013 and I\u2019ll never forget it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara Carrick and her mum, Claire, on Tara’s wedding day (Image: Name’5 Doddie)\n<\/p>\n
\n Now, Tara said she was determined to help raise funds for both research and practical support.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cPeople like my mum can\u2019t die for nothing,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere has to be something positive and good from the suffering.\n<\/p>\n
\n “If that\u2019s raising money and awareness that takes us closer to a cure, or makes some difference, then that must be it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara is now encouraging people to sign up for Doddie Aid to help raise funds for research and family support.\n<\/p>\n
\n Anyone can take part, as for five weeks from January 1, participants may choose an activity, such as\u00a0walking, running, cycling or swimming \u2013 log their miles during the challenge period, and raise money to support research and care.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tara added:\u00a0\u201cThis disease doesn\u2019t just happen to one person, it happens to whole families.\n<\/p>\n
\n “People often ask me what they can do to help: the first thing is to sign up for Doddie Aid.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It gives meaning to those we have lost and honours those who have fought this disease, and takes us closer to a future where no family has to go through what we did.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n To take part in Doddie Aid, sign up via myname5doddie.co.uk<\/a> and search Doddie Aid, or visit doddieaid.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tara Carrick beside an image of mum Claire, who lost her life to MND last year (Image: Contributed)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-396292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396292","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=396292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}