Determined not to let this take over her life, she continued to get out, sit in the garden and as ever, direct her husband but to his horror was to instruct him to start cooking.
Beneficiary Story of Bhavna Bhatt written by her devoted daughter Kajal.
My Mother Bhavna Bhatt suffered from this uncurable disease for the last 2 years. For most, March 2020 was somewhat the start of covid which bought about its own challenges, but for the Bhatt family it was the start of a 2-year battle to keep life as normal as possible given the circumstances.
It started off with her doing nothing out of the ordinary, simply pulling along a suitcase like we all do when at the airport, and this is when her symptoms first started. As she pulled the suitcase, she felt pain in her finger restricting movement. What started off as nothing sinister led to multiple referrals to specialists NHS Trusts ultimately resulting in a life changing diagnosis for her and the entire family. In September 2020 the life changing diagnosis of the early stages of Motor Neuron Disease (MND) was made.
MND is a devastating neurological condition that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that controls movement. It can leave people with severe disability, including the inability to walk, talk, and even breathe. There is currently no cure for MND and it is a terminal illness.
Weeks and months passed, there was no further deterioration. Like most during the pandemic, mum took to walking, gardening, and doing what she loved the most which was cooking enough food to feed an army. Sadly, this was somewhat short lived and after a year, Mum was not able to do the everyday things we all take for granted such as sitting on the sofa, climbing up the stairs and bending down. Determined not to let this take over her life, she continued to get out, sit in the garden and as ever, direct her husband but to his horror was to instruct him to start cooking.
She lived a full life of love, joy, and happiness.
The last 2 years were difficult to say the least, but her spirits remained high and her presence felt. We had to find new ways to communicate with her such as reciting the alphabet or one blink for yes, 2 for no as unfortunately she began to deteriorate, losing the ability to speak but as always, determined to not let this stop her and continue to battle this horrible disease.
Unfortunately, she lost her battle with MND and she sadly passed away peacefully on 3rd January 2023.
There is no known cure and no alleviating treatment. MND kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis. We are so grateful to have been given almost 2 and a half years with mum. It affects all communities, with a person’s lifetime risk of developing MND around 1 in 300. Today six people will be diagnosed and all six will die from MND. There is no cure.