A MUM is campaigning for more research into an incurable condition that causes her to fall over, in the hope that both her children could be treated for the disease.

Lisa Whittaker, from Oswaldtwistle, said her son Cole, five, and daughter Sienna, two, have inherited Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) from her, which is a neurological condition which causes muscle weakness in the limbs.

The 28-year-old said her condition has deteriorated dramatically since she was diagnosed aged 10, and fears that her children’s mild symptoms will also get progressively worse.

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The symptoms are most visible in her feet, which are often distorted into a high arch, with her middle three toes curled into ‘hammer toes’.

She also suffers from severe fatigue and cramp in her hands and legs. The former Accrington College student, who lives in Grove Street, said: “It was manageable to start with but it seems to be gradually getting worse. I’m constantly tired and tripping all over the place.

“I lose my balance when standing still and struggle walking distances without a regular break to sit down.

“I have insoles in my shoes and night leg splints to keep my feet in position. I also wear splints on my hands during the day and resting ones at night.”

Lisa, who takes daily morphine doses, is unable to work, but still hopes to go into childcare if a treatment can be found.

She added: “They haven’t been able to find a cure for CMT, and very few people know about it despite it being one of the most common genetic diseases. Lots of doctors don’t even know about it.

“The kids haven’t been anywhere near as bad as me, but Cole does seem to be falling a lot. We just don’t know how bad it’s going to get for them.”

She has backed an awareness drive by the CMT UK charity, to boost early diagnosis and raise £2 million to fund a series of clinical trials.

The charity’s chief operating officer, Karen Butcher, said: “With this condition, it’s the seemingly little things that can affect people with CMT in a big way; hammer toes can make wearing shoes painful and most people find it difficult to find suitable shoes.

“Later in the disease, mobility is greatly restricted, requiring various aids to continue to walk, uncontrollable pain is common and there is difficulty with carrying out tasks requiring fine motor skills, like fastening shoes laces or opening jars.”