A brave young mum who was diagnosed with MND after giving birth has died.
Warrior Jennifer Bell, 28, was given just months to live when medics diagnosed her in March 2019.
The mum-of-two from Milngavie passed away peacefully in the early hours of Christmas Eve, the Daily Record reports.
Her dad David said: “With a very heavy heart, my beautiful daughter Jennifer passed peacefully in the early hours of this morning.
“I want to thank everyone for their support and kindness everyone has shown towards my darling daughter and my family.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Marie Curie for the care they gave Jennifer.”
A single mum to daughters Georgia, aged nine, and one-year-old Kacey, brave Jennifer refused to let the disease control her life.
She celebrated Christmas with her children, took the kids on a dream trip to Disneyland, celebrated her baby’s first birthday and had a birthday party for her daughter Georgia.
Jen also graduated from Caledonian University with a BSc in learning disability nursing shortly after being diagnosed.
She was seven months pregnant with little Kacey when a relative noticed that her speech sounded like she was wearing braces in 2019.
The student nurse put her symptoms down to the stress of being a pregnant mum, a full-time student and working night shifts but by the time she gave birth she sounded drunk.
Jennifer’s GP had told her the slurred speech was down to hormones following pregnancy and asked her to return in eight weeks.
She was told on March 26 last year that she had Motor Neurone Disease and was given nine months to live.
Her symptoms left her unable to speak, swallow water or eat food without choking.
And with the coronavirus pandemic forcing her into lockdown, she admitted to feeling exhausted.
In May this year, Jennifer made the difficult decision to move into the Marie Curie Hospice in Glasgow.
Despite the odds, she continued to share her battle online, reaching hundreds of people across the world who were touched by her story.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds was raised for MND Scotland in her name. She was also the face of the MND Scotland Cornflower ball which raised more than £92,000.
To donate to MND Scotland visit here.
