The father of a young Moray woman battling an incurable illness has opened his heart on how his daughter’s “death sentence” has affected her family.
Robert Lintott is planning a charity trek in honour of daughter Lucy, who was Scotland’s youngest motor neurone disease (MND) sufferer when she was diagnosed aged 19.
As he took his appeal for donations public yesterday, the offshore chef relived the heartbreaking moment his family learned that she had the degenerative condition.
He said that Tuesday, November 19, was a day he “would never forget”.
Mr Lintott added: “We knew that there was something wrong with Lucy, but never imagined the enormity of what was coming our way.
“We thought that whatever it was would be cured with some pills or a routine operation.
“When I found out what it was, I felt physical sick and my heart started to pound.”
Mr Lintott said he was aware of how devastating MND can be after reading about footballer Fernando Ricksen’s diagnosis just weeks earlier.
He said: “They told us it was incurable, there is no effective medicine to help control it, and 90% of people die within the first three years.
“Those facts kept ringing in my ears, with the sound and vision of Lucy crying.
“I have never felt so helpless, as the doctor delivered a death sentence on our youngest daughter I felt so numb.”
But he said Miss Lintott’s strength of character had been inspirational – even shortly after receiving the devastating prognosis.
Over a meal in Glasgow, Miss Lintott joked that she wished she was suffering from multiple sclerosis instead – an ailment her family had considered she may have had.
Mr Lintott said: “I was absolutely amazed at her strength, that she could make a joke of her situation.
“Although I really wanted to cry, I just had to laugh with her and from then on our approach was to look for the positives, to help and support her.
“Her strength and determination to make the most of the time she has left has been the inspiration for our family to be positive and enjoy the time we have with Lucy.”
Since being diagnosed, Miss Lintott has raised more than £100,000 towards finding a cure for MND and has won awards recognising her charity efforts.