Paul Derbyshire was born in Manchester and settled in Nottingham during the 80's where his Robin of Sherwood look would have been better appreciated. He married Lisa in a lavish ceremony at St Mary's church in the Lace Market in 1991, the photos being hotly fought over between Hello magazine and Horse & Hound! Lisa & Paul's eldest son, Ryan, was born in 1996. The first grandchild so of course spoilt rotten. It wasn't until Ryan was 4 and Lisa was 5 months pregnant that their world turned upside down with Ryan's diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. These were dark times for the whole family and with so many things to worry about, it was hard to know what to worry about first. Ryan had to be assessed for learning difficulties which are so often associated with Duchenne before he started school. Genetic testing had to be carried out to determine where the genetic mutation had occurred and also further tests were done to see if their unborn son had the condition too. In addition they had to move house as they needed a home suitable for adaptation in the future. Some positive news came when they were told their unborn child didn't have the condition and they began to consider more what they did have rather than what they didn't.

 

Paul has worked very hard to ensure his family have as normal a life as possible. With his pragmatic approach and hard-working attitude, he has shown that anything can be done when he puts his mind to it, even losing his 80's mullet! Paul also puts a lot of energy into coaching his younger son's football team, Gedling Southbank, with the whole family joining in, as Ryan runs the tea stall at home matches.

 

People will often say to Paul, 'How do you cope?'  His answer is always, 'You don't have any choice, you have to make the best of whatever life throws at you...whats difficult for some people...is now normal for us'

 

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