A MAN from Stourbridge has shared his experience living with muscular dystrophy though the Covid pandemic to raise awareness of the impact of his condition.

Bryan Gould has a rare and progressive muscle wasting condition called Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy meaning he is clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid-19.

The need to isolate over the last 18 months has meant his mobility and muscle strength has deteriorated significantly and resulted in mood swings and mild depression.

Bryan said: “During this pandemic, for many of us living with a disability and being extremely clinically vulnerable the outside world was and still is a scary place to navigate.

"For many like myself personal confidence and independence has been badly affected.”

Bryan said the support from a muscular dystrophy charity, Muscular Dystrophy UK, was vital during a challenging time.

“I provide peer support as required and have found that to be very therapeutic and important to my state of mind and worth and hopefully of use to others", said Bryan.

"But my mental health was impacted because of the difficulty in knowing when things would improve and due to the difficulty of navigating the government’s ever-changing strategies. Just keeping up with all the changes caused anxiety.

"I am very concerned about what will happen now the country is opening up and now that face masks are not going to be mandatory on public transport and in busy retail settings.

"I am also concerned about how society will treat the disabled and the extremely vulnerable.

"Society needs to understand that everyone who is living with a critical condition should be allowed to live their lives alongside others.

"There needs to be consideration for the implications for us in areas like transport and public spaces. I am very worried about how we will go back into society safely if all lockdown restrictions are lifted immediately.”

Muscular Dystrophy UK is calling on the government to improve the lives of people living with muscle-wasting conditions, following their survey of sufferers.

The survey found 68 per cent of respondents living with a muscle-wasting condition said lockdown and shielding had a negative impact on their physical health and 62 per cent said it had a negative impact on their mental health

Catherine Woodhead, CEO of Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “Thousands of people living with a muscle-wasting condition have experienced significant deterioration in their overall wellbeing throughout the pandemic.

"Many services including specialist neuromuscular services referrals and diagnostics were halted or significantly reduced, leaving people with delayed diagnosis and no access to expert care.

"Consequently, many people living with these conditions have been unable to receive the full treatment and care they need and are at severe risk of faster progression of their conditions."