A BANBURY mother spent five years suffering pins and needles up an down her body, sudden falls and chronic fatigue before doctors diagnosed her illness.

Now 20 years on Millie McCormick is chairman of the Banbury branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and keen to help others with the disease.

She is part of a hard-working team who not only fundraise, but support those who have been newly diagnosed, or people coping long term.

They are looking for a very special person to join their team and work unpaid as a welfare officer. The volunteer is needed for up to six hours a week to give practical advice to MS sufferers or see them in their homes.

Mrs McCormick, 64, said the job was key to the organisation and one which was very rewarding.

She described a feeling of coming out of a black cloud she was finally diagnosed and was keen to stress the importance of her contact with one of the charity's welfare officers.

Mrs McCormick, of Meadow View, said: "It was very early days in Banbury for the MS Society, but a welfare officer did pop round to see me and did talk about things I needed. She said to me we are there if you want us — just contact us.

"Then I made friends with people in the branch. The biggest thing to me was they understood what I was going through. Emotionally it did me the world of good.

"People come from a wilderness. They can have one attack in their lives and not have another for 30 years. It's so unpredictable. No one dies of MS, it's usually something else."

MS causes the immune system to turn in on itself and fight the body, it can affect the arms, legs, spine and internal organs and leave sufferers disabled. There is no cure.

Mrs McCormick said: "The neurologist said you have got MS now get on with life — but how do you do that without a back-up group.

"We support people affected by MS, which means we support family and carers.

"I was a very energetic person, bringing up children, my husband was travelling but if I look back over the years I could see the signs.

"At the end of the day it is not the end of the world, there are things after MS.

"MS lives with us, we don't live with MS."

Statistically more women than men have MS and the disease attacks more women in their 30s. Nationally more people in Scotland have the disease than anywhere else.

Across Banbury, Bicester and Brackley there are 140 members of the Banbury branch. For more information call 01295 258902 or go to www.mssociety.org.uk/banbury