I had to watch my dad waste away to a shadow of a man



Published Date: 04 February 2009
By LAURA CUMMINGS


IT was when he couldn't quite seem to get a proper grip on his beloved golf clubs that Ronnie Mackinnon knew something was wrong.

The 60-year-old lawyer had always been fit and healthy, enjoying nothing more than his regular round of golf, but his struggle with his grip was making it less enjoyable.

His doctor immediately suggested the possibility of motor neurone disease (M

ND), but his otherwise strong health led them to rule that out. It was three years later, in 1992, that MND was eventually diagnosed and within two years, as it does in most cases, it would claim his life.

Calum Mackinnon, an Edinburgh property developer and New Town bar owner, was a boy of just ten when doctors delivered the shattering news about his dad.

To someone of that age, it seemed strange to see his mother helping to dress his father, and to watch as his grip failed on the golf clubs.

And over the next two years, as he began high school, Calum had to go through the heartbreak of watching as his father wasted away to a shadow of his former self.

Motor neurone disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurones, causing weakness and wasting of the muscles and an increasing loss of mobility in the limbs, as well as difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing.

Around 50 per cent of those who contract the disease die within two years – as was the case for Ronnie Mackinnon.

He was 63 when he was diagnosed with the disease, experiencing many of its unpleasant symptoms as it progressed over a two-year period.

He died in the lounge of the family home in Aberdeen in February 1994, aged 65, with his wife – Elizabeth – by his side.

The disease robbed Calum and his twin sister Sarah, then 12, of their father, while leaving Elizabeth to pick up the pieces and bring up two young children on her own.

Calum, 26, who now lives on Edinburgh's Dundas Street, reflects: "It affected his upper body and wasted away his muscles. He couldn't do basic functions like opening doors because it affected his grip.

"It was quite tough seeing my dad like that, he was such a sporty individual, who loved watching rugby and playing golf, and not being able to play golf affected him a lot. It was heartbreaking to see somebody not being able to enjoy their passion.

"Towards the end you could tell he was very weak and frail, and not as lively and bubbly. The most difficult thing was seeing my dad change from a strong and powerful character to being a lot weaker."

He adds: "I didn't really know exactly what the disease was, I was very young at the time. I think people are a lot more aware of what the disease is now, but at the time it was very sort of unknown."

Towards the end of his life Ronnie required help with even the simplest of everyday tasks.

Elizabeth was on hand to care for his every need, but as she juggled running the Prince Regent Hotel in Aberdeen, which the couple co-owned with her brother, Ian Littlejohn, 58, and her job as a lawyer – not to mention looking after the twins – it was a difficult time for the family.

Calum says: "My mum was an absolute rock and cared for my dad in the house. She was absolutely brilliant and did everything she could and everything he needed. She became a full-time carer and she worked as a lawyer, and ran the hotel as well, so it was quite tough on her. She was an inspiration."

Calum watched, powerless, as the disease ravaged his father's body.

"He tried to live his life to the fullest and tried not to let it affect him too much right up until the end," Calum adds. "He always stayed positive and passed away before it progressed into the later symptoms. He was very proud and tried not to get too much help from my mum."

Calum found it difficult growing up without a father, missing even the smallest of things, including watching golf and rugby on the television with him. "My sister had a real sort of bond with my dad and it affected her very badly," he adds.

At the age of 18 he made the decision to move to the Capital, where he studied for an honours degree in business and law at Edinburgh University.

He graduated in 2005 but chose to follow an entrepreneurial career, throwing himself into property development. He bought and renovated seven flats in the New Town, before selling them on.

He also purchased the former Victoria and Albert bar on Frederick Street in January 2006, which he renamed Amicus Apple, and opened in June of that year.

Elizabeth still lives in the family home in the west end of Aberdeen, where she works as a lawyer for solicitors and estate agents, James & George Collie, while Sarah stays in Edinburgh and is studying for a masters degree in journalism at Napier University.

"I try to go up to visit my mum every now and again," smiles Calum. "She loves coming down – all the staff make sure she gets nice cocktails!"

Calum is supporting the charity Motor Neurone Disease Scotland by raising as much money as he can through a number of events.

He has created the Ronnie Mackinnon Cocktail in memory of his father and all profits from each cocktail sold at Amicus Apple over this year will be donated to the charity.

Calum says: "Our new cocktail menu will be launched on February 18 and it will have a bit about my dad and the charity on it. We hope to raise around £2000 over the year."

Calum has also arranged a ladies' night at the bar in March that will include a cocktail reception and canapes on arrival.

The bar staff and a selection of Scotland rugby players will wait on the lucky women dressed in only black trousers and a bow tie.

The restaurant and bar is also supporting the Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show – the biggest of its kind in Europe – on March 20 and 21 at the Corn Exchange, which is organised by Edinburgh University students.

Funds raised from the event, which aims to collect £50,000, will be shared between Motor Neurone Disease Scotland, the neurology department at the Western General and Maggie's Centre in Edinburgh.

Calum recently met Euan MacDonald, 33, who lives in Edinburgh and was diagnosed with motor neurone disease five years ago.

Euan and his father Donald established the Euan MacDonald Centre of Motor Neurone Disease Research in 2007 – based next to the Royal Infirmary at Little France – which aims to find a cure for the condition that hits upwards of 100 Scots every year.

Tickets for the fashion show are available by visiting www.edinburghcharityfashionshow.com

DISEASE THAT CAUSES PARALYSIS AND WEAKENS MUSCLES
MOTOR neurone disease (MND) is the name given to a group of relatively rare disorders which destroy the motor nerves – or neurones – in the body. The motor neurones are a complex system of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control the action of the muscles.

Symptoms vary but MND can cause paralysis and eating and drinking difficulties, as well as impaired speech.

As the condition progresses, the motor neurones of the body are gradually damaged. This blocks the stimulating signals from the brain reaching the muscles, causing them to weaken and waste away.

MND usually affects adults, and is most common among people aged 50 to 70. Around one person in 50,000 will develop motor neurone disease every year.

The majority (90-95 per cent) of MND cases are sporadic with no family history of the disease.

Many well-known celebrities have been victims of the disease, including actor David Niven – best known for his roles in Around the World in 80 Days and A Matter of Life and Death (left) – who died in 1983 at the age of 73, and Celtic star Jimmy Johnstone, known to fans as Jinky, who passed away in 2006 aged 61.

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