A MAN who raised £9,000 to buy his wife a special wheelchair after a battle to get physiotherapy at the Alexandra Hospital failed has taken his case to a disability discrimination group.

Steve Darling, of Headless Cross, fought to have his wife, Jenny, treated for a rare progressive muscle illness, for 18 months, writes Becky Procter.

The condition, called congenital mytonic dystrophy, affects one in a million people and has resulted in Mrs Darling losing all her muscle tone and developing severe breathing difficulties.

And now Mr Darling, who has given up his job to be a full-time career for his wife and daughter, who also has the illness, does daily physiotherapy sessions himself.

The special standing wheelchair from Switzerland is one of just a few in the country and Redditch Lions has helped to raise the money to buy it.

But Mr Darling said Worcestershire NHS Acute Hospital's Trust had now agreed to give Jenny six weeks of physiotherapy at home using the chair he has had to buy.

He said: "The fact is there is no equipment to deal with Jenny's condition at the Alexandra Hospital."

Mr Darling said his wife had been denied access to physiotherapy and the right to life and has contacted the Disability Discrimination Council.

A spokesman for the disability group said: "We are investigating the case and have written to Worcestershire NHS Acute Hospital's Trust. We are now awaiting a reply from them."

The trust declined to comment.