JUST a few years ago, Vic Rawlings was a normal family man, enjoying a successful career, writes Victoria Minett.

But two years ago he was diagnosed as a motor neurone disease sufferer and in that short time he has become confined to a wheelchair and is unable to speak without the help of an electronic box - although his mind is as active as ever.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is indiscriminate. The cause is unclear, all the doctors know is that motor neurones - the nerve endings that control muscles in the brain and the spinal cord - die off leaving the sufferer unable to move, but the brain as alert as ever.

MND is also very swift to attack. The average life expectancy is just 14 months from diagnosis and most sufferers die within five years of the first symptoms appearing.

Vic, who lives in Snitterfield, has confounded doctors by surviving beyond his expected time and fully intends to keep going for some time yet. He could well do as famous sufferer Prof Stephen Hawking, whose mother lives in Stratford and has survived with MND for more than 30 years. However others, such as actor David Niven and former England manager Don Revie, have been less fortunate.

The first indication Vic had of his illness was the gradual loss of his speech. His MND was diagnosed in March 1998 and by the August, he was confined to a wheelchair. During a spell in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Vic and his wife Jan discovered a new drug, Ritalec, which is believed to slow the onset of the illness down.

Unfortunately, they discovered the drug was not available on prescription from doctors, only from the local health authority, but as it was on trial and some were unconvinced of its benefits it was tricky to get hold of. Nevertheless, a determined Jan managed to secure it and is now convinced a combination of the drug and a full and active life has staved off the disease.

An active life is vital, not just to the Rawlings, but other families. The couple enjoy holidays, both at home and abroad, thanks mainly to an adapted van and a space age motorised wheelchair. Vic has discovered the joys of IT since he became ill and has become proficient in desktop publishing and scouring the web - he is even a mean games player!

"That's the secret," said Jan, "We have a great time, a real laugh and that helps us through it. It's not just a question of struggling through, but really making the most of the time you have."

The selfless couple have embroiled themselves in community work. Jan helps to run an old persons group in the village - for which Vic produces calendars, programmes and other vital stationery - and they organise a number of fund-raising events for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

The feather in their caps, however, has to be the annual open garden day they organise to raise cash for MND research. Jan's mind-boggling garden, which features hundreds and thousands of flowers and exotic birds in aviaries, has become famous throughout South Warwickshire and the pair welcome many hundreds of people through their doors every summer.

"We work hard to raise as much as we can," she said. "The Motor Neurone Disease Association is brilliant. They help with support and equipment and do their best to help anyone through what is a terrible thing."

For more information on MND, call the Motor Neurone Disease Association on 01604 250505.