IT'S June, 2002, and Pam Goodall has enjoyed another game of tennis and is looking forward to her line-dancing evening.

She might be retired but Pam has a massive energy and zest for life and can't wait to spend her retirement years living an active and fulfilled life with her husband Peter.

Today, less than two years on, Pam, and her life have changed beyond all recognition.

Now 69, she is wheelchair-bound and totally reliant on her full-time carer, husband Peter, 71, and her family - daughters Helen Clarke, 38, Clare Goodall, 41, Sue Butler, 42, and son John Goodall, 35.

Grandmother-of-four Pam was diagnosed with the debilitating motor neurone disease in April last year.

It hasn't even been a year since the diagnosis, yet the disease has taken a terrific toll on her body.

She has no control over any of her muscles - which means she can't walk, eat, or even talk.

Simple things that we all take for granted, like wiping our mouth or moving our leg when we have pins and needles, are impossible tasks for Pam.

He daughter Helen says she has become "trapped in her own body and there's no way she can escape.

For Helen and her sister Clare, the past nine months have been tortuous, and knowing that their mum's condition will only grow worse, and is terminal, is a bitter pill to swallow.

Helen, of Northwick Road, Claines, added: "It makes you look at life totally differently.

If I just sat around and thought about what's happening to mum, I would be a mess, but I know she wouldn't want that.

Having said that, it's extremely difficult, she was such a lovely, well-turned out woman - so smart in her appearance.

To watch her now, not even able to hold her head up properly, swallow, or wipe away her dribble is so upsetting.

She has become a prisoner in her own body. She can hear everything and is fully aware of what's going on around her. There's nothing wrong with her intellectually, yet she is powerless to interact.

I can't imagine what it must be like for her and I would give so much just to be able to have a good chat with her.

Instead, Pam can only converse by grunting, shaking her head, or nodding when one of her family members guesses what she wants to say by typing it out on a special computer.

It's been such a rapid deterioration it's frightening," said her second daughter. Clare. "It has been absolutely devastating to watch, especially when you see that she's in pain, or is so frustrated that she can't do anything so she just weeps.

It took dad a long time to come to terms with it and, as her carer, it can be very tough on him.

He has to lift her up all the time and do everything for her, which is all so tiring considering his age.

But they're still very much in love and always have been. They adore each other.

The pressure of a situation like this could really break a relationship, but I think it has made them even stronger. It has made the whole family stronger."

Pam's family are refusing to let their heartache stop them enjoying every moment they have left with her and are now campaigning to raise awareness of MND.

They fear few people know about the disease, suffered most famously by computer legend Stephen Hawking.

More recently, the horrific consequences of living with MND was highlighted by Essex sufferer Diane Pretty.

In an historic ruling in 2002, European judges dismissed Mrs Pretty's claim that the British courts were contravening her human rights by refusing to allow her husband to help her commit suicide.

The ruling came shortly before the mum-of-two's death at the age of 43 and followed a three-year battle in which she fought for the right to die.

Pam's family doesn't want to dwell on the future and, instead, have hosted scores of fund-raising events to raise cash in a bid to help find a cure for the disease.

All the money they've raised goes to the Motor Neurone Disease Association - which the family has described as giving "invaluable" help since Pam's diagnosis.

The association provides care and support for people with MND and their families, and funds vital research into causes, treatments and a cure for the disease..

Pam's family recently raised £700 for the charity by holding a disco at Worcester Rugby Club and are is set to hold another fund-raising music night.

The soul and Motown evening will take place on Saturday, February 7, from 8pm at the Elgar Suite, of The Abbey Hotel, Malvern.

Entrance costs £5 with all the cash raised going to the MND Association. Tickets can be obtained by calling Helen or her partner Rob on 01905 458606.

To contact the MND Association, call its national help line on 08457 626262, or write to the charity at PO Box 246, Northampton, NN1 2PR, or visit its website at www.mndassociation.org

Factfile

Motor Neurone Disease is the name given to a group of related diseases affecting the motor neurones, or nerve cells, in the brain and spinal cord.

As the motor neurones gradually die, the muscles stop working.

MND is a rapidly progressive and fatal disease that can affect any adult, any time.

The cause of MND is unknown and there is no known cure.

At least three people a day die from MND in the UK and it affects more 5,000 people in this country alone at any one time.

Half of people with MND will die 14 months after diagnosis.

MND leaves people unable to walk, talk or feed themselves, but the intellect and the senses remain unaffected. In other words, people with MND can still think and feel, but their muscles refuse to work.

MND was first described in 1874 by French neurologist Jean-Marie Charcot. In the USA and other countries it is known as ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

Famous people who have died of MND include actor David Niven, footballers Don Revie and Willie Maddren, Leonard Cheshire - founder of the Cheshire Homes for disabled people - and journalist Jill Tweedie.

Professor Stephen Hawking, author of A Brief History of Time is exceptional; he has survived with MND for more than 35 years.