I was just 38 when I noticed a worrying change in my body. I had done everything right - now I can't even tie my shoelaces or put deodorant on
Share:
Jeffrey Jenkins, a 38-year-old aspiring paediatric surgeon, dedicated his life to medicine - but now his world has come crashing down with a devastating diagnosis. The loving husband and father-of-two had been managing Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid, for decades.
![[The loving husband and father-of-two had been managing Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid, for decades]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/15/93488095-14210643-The_loving_husband_and_father_of_two_had_been_managing_Graves_di-a-17_1735917997051.jpg)
But in March 2024, his symptoms began to worsen in ways that no one could have anticipated - only to result in a motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis which has no cure and a life expectancy of two years. Speaking to FEMAIL, Jeffrey's wife, Sarah, who has been with her husband for 17 years, recalled the moment they were handed the heart-wrenching news.
![[In March 2024, his symptoms began to worsen in ways that no one could have anticipated - only to result in a motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis which has no cure and a life expectancy of two years]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/15/93322255-14210643-In_March_2024_his_symptoms_began_to_worsen_in_ways_that_no_one_c-a-24_1735917997665.jpg)
'Our lives were turned upside down by the stress of Jeff's studies. He was exhausted - working all day and studying all night. Maybe if everything wasn't happening at once, we would've caught it earlier.'. 'It started slowly,' Daye Moffitt, Jeffrey's sister-in-law, said. 'Jeff began noticing hand tremors, which were particularly alarming because he was about to become a surgeon.'.
![[It felt like a cruel twist of fate when Jeffrey was diagnosed shortly after fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a paediatric surgeon]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/15/93488107-14210643-It_felt_like_a_cruel_twist_of_fate_when_Jeffrey_was_diagnosed_sh-a-18_1735917997053.jpg)
As his condition progressed, his once steady hands weakened, and muscle twitching - on his arms and even his tongue - became impossible to ignore. Despite his best efforts, Jeffrey's strength deteriorated to the point where he could no longer lift his arms to perform basic tasks like applying deodorant or fasten buttons.
![[Jeffrey and Sarah met at a Penrith nightclub when they were 19 and haven't left each other's side since]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/03/15/93322257-14210643-Jeffrey_and_Sarah_met_at_a_Penrith_nightclub_when_they_were_19_a-a-16_1735917997025.jpg)
