A REDDITCH man has been forced to fork out £9,000 to buy his wife a special wheelchair after an 18-month battle for basic daily physiotherapy at the Alexandra Hospital failed, writes Becky Procter.

Steve Darling, of Headless Cross, has been fighting to have his wife, Jenny, treated for the rare progressive muscle illness she has had since birth.

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 problems.

Mr Darling said: We have been trying to get a basic service from the Alexandra Hospital. We were referred by our doctor and consultant.

He added: I am asking for basic physiotherapy - the right to life. She is sedentary and sits all the time and there are problems associated with that, such as putting on weight. In fact I have been waiting to see a dietician at the Alexandra for a year and a half.

Mrs Darling has to use a ventilator at night and is also dependent on oxygen for 15 hours a day.

And Mr Darling, 49, has been forced to give up his job to look after his wife and daughter, who also has the illness.

He said: The standing wheelchair will be coming from Switzerland in the next week. Myself and the carers will be giving Jenny physiotherapy daily ourselves.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: We appreciate Mr Darling is trying very hard to provide the best care for his wife through the available health care services.

Unfortunately, having the required physiotherapy treatment at the Alexandra Hospital would require Mrs Darling to travel, which is detrimental to her condition.

Mrs Darling receives regular physiotherapy treatment from the Community Trust rehabilitation team.