ANDRE Edmunds has always been active – a keen sportsman.

But, when the air traffic controller was diagnosed with the incurable and progressive muscle-wasting disease, Charcot-Marie- Tooth [CMT], the fatigue he had put down to a lack of fitness for many years began to make sense.

“I started noticing loss of feeling in my right foot and leg after I was recovering from a knee operation,” explains Andre, 53, from Bishop’s Waltham.

“Eventually, I was diagnosed with CMT2 in 2009, which was a shock – I had never heard of it before.”

CMT is an inherited neurological condition which affects 23,000 people in the UK. It damages sufferers’ peripheral nerves, causing loss of feeling and muscle wasting in feet, legs and hands.

“Specialists said that I had had it for years, but it’s only now that the symptoms have materialised,” says Andre.

“I have always been an active person and have played racquet sports and football for a long time. I remember feeling fatigued before my fellow sportsmen, but had always put this down to not being fit enough. Now I know that a symptom of CMT is early fatigue – so this all now makes sense.”

CMT causes muscle weakness in the lower legs and hands and sufferers are easily fatigued, walk awkwardly, struggle to do everyday tasks with their hands and endure painful limbs, twisted ankles, balance problems and falls.

Andre wants to make more people aware about the condition so they don’t suffer in silence.

Early detection can improve lives and while most people are diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood, for others it is not identified until later in life because of a lack of awareness in the medical profession.

“I lose my balance sometimes and walking doesn’t come as naturally as it did before, especially over rough ground,” says Andre, who is married with a son, aged 17.

“I can still cycle and swim but these are slowly becoming harder as the loss of feeling and lack of strength in my feet and lower legs slowly gets worse.

“CMT is a very individual disease, some can get by with walking sticks and orthotic aids, and others may need to use a wheelchair.

“I have lost a lot of calf muscle and in summer when I wear shorts, I do feel a bit embarrassed about my ‘weedy’ look.

People don’t know my problem so I have to just ignore the perception, but it is not easy – it’s a vanity thing.

“Hopefully my deterioration won’t be too quick and I can enjoy healthy activities for a while yet – you just have to learn to live with CMT.

“It’s hard to tell what the future holds, but life goes on.”

For more information on Charcot-Marie-Tooth, please visit cmt.org.uk.