A moviegoer went to see the Oscar-nominated 2014 film The Theory of Everything and when he came out of the cinema, his life had changed.
A while back in March, 62-year-old grandfather of four Paul Whyley from Hagley, Worcs, who went with his wife Jayne to see the film at the UCI Cinema at Merry Hill, near Dudley, was moved and affected by the Stephen Hawking biopic, literally so that while watching the movie, he realized that he too has motor neurone disease. That was two weeks before his diagnosis.
"They listed the symptoms and I thought, 'I've got all of them,' but I said nothing. It was a good film," said Whyley.
Whyley recalls a scene in the movie where Stephen Hawking is running and suddenly falls. He said he had similar experiences. In another scene, Stephen struggles to write on the blackboard with his right arm. Whyley has had difficulty with his right arm, too. It was as if his life was unraveling before his eyes, only in a movie about someone else.
Before being diagnosed with the disease, Whyley recalls falling over at work and having trouble keeping hold of a drill with his right hand in his job as a blind fitter, with this, doctors were baffled, he said. Having been told that a floppy foot, which he had just started having at the time, is just a tell-tale sign of the disease, it all still seemed to be a mystery.
And so right after watching the film, Whyley went to see his GP. It did not turn out to be so much of a surprise when, two weeks later, neurologists at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham officially diagnosed Whyley of motor neurone disease.
Whyley's wife Jayne calls it a "vile, evil disease." She said they used to have a normal life - that Paul has a private piloting license and was very active. To Jayne, everything was fine until news of her husband having motor neurone disease has suddenly hit them. The disease has greatly manifested itself in Whyley since the past three months. Jayne is now looking after Paul, full time.
Currently, Whyley is taking medication to slow down the progression of the disease. He cannot walk and is unable to use his right arm. He also has a machine to help him clear his lungs, because he cannot cough on his own.
Relatives are trying to raise money for the Whyleys, for a chairlift, hoist and motorized wheelchair. You can send your donations through the online platform Just Giving.
