Michael is a lion 
among lambs

By Craig Robertson WHEN MICHAEL TOBIN from Coatbridge was seven he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Distrophy. His parents, Jean and Charlie, were told he’d be in a wheelchair by 11 and they wouldn’t have him by 16. The first part of that diagnosis proved correct, but the life expectancy prediction reckoned without Michael’s fighting spirit. He is now 23, works as a data processor, is a massive Celtic fan, enjoys a pint and goes to pop concerts whenever he can. He knows the burden he lives with but is determined never to give in to it. “We’re all going to die,” says Michael. “It happens to everybody eventually. I know what the doctors say but I’m in no hurry to be going anywhere just yet.

Michael with his parents, Jean and Charlie.

“As long as I look after myself I’ll be OK. I have to make sure I get rid of things like colds and infections as soon as possible and I go to hospital very occasionally, but that’s all.”
It took five years before his parents could bring themselves to tell Michael what they’d known for so long.
“Michael was going to secondary school and we knew people would ask what was wrong with him,” says Jean. “We couldn’t leave him in a position where he didn’t know.
“I switched off the TV and told Michael there was something important I had to tell him. I managed to get it out and when I was finished all he could say was, ‘Is that all? Can you put the telly back on now, please?’”
It’s that strength and character that has carried Michael through. His consultant at Yorkhill Hospital, Dr Douglas Wilcox, is so impressed he has made a video of Michael to show to other youngsters diagnosed with MD.
The video shows him at work. After leaving Ashcraig High School, he took a national certificate in office administration and now has a job with Adam Hart Health Care.
It tells about his passion for music — he has been to see the likes of Oasis, Texas, Robbie Williams, Stereophonics, U2 and REM — and even shows him just going for a pint with his mates.
“Dr Wilcox says Michael is a lion amongst lambs,” says Charlie. “I reckon he’s right.”
But Michael’s parents still worry about his health — probably more than he does himself. “Charlie still finds it difficult to deal with Michael’s condition,” admits Jean.
Michael has been attending Rachel House since 1996. His first visit was just a month after it opened. The staff there say he’s in with the bricks.
He doesn’t think he needs his trips to the hospice as much these days but they are still a vital break for Jean and Charlie from the exhausting routine of looking after him.
“The staff at Rachel House are like family. Most of them are off their heads but they are brilliant,” he laughs. “They even put Sky TV in after I moaned because they didn’t have it.”
That doesn’t mean he gets things all his own way. Kay Gilchrist, the chaplain, supports Rangers and gives him pelters!

You can e-mail us at: hospice@sundaypost.com