A father of two is making remarkable progress after being struck down by a rare, debilitating illness that affects just one in every 2.3 million people.And David Grayston has thanked the community for its support after well-wishers raised thousands of dollars to help fund his treatment overseas for tumefactive multiple sclerosis.It was on Good Friday, March 29, that Mr Grayston, 39, first noticed worrying symptoms. Enjoying a day out with his family and friends, he suddenly realised that he couldn’t understand the conversation that was going on around him.Mr Grayston put the episode down to stress, but within days, the symptoms had worsened. He developed a tingling sensation down one leg and almost crashed his truck after becoming confused over the brake and gas pedals. So rapid was the disease’s advance, by the end of the week, he could barely hold a knife and fork.At this point Mr Grayston’s wife, Nicole, urged him to get medical attention. His GP concluded that there was a problem with the left lobe of his brain after an examination showed that Mr Grayston’s right side was completely numb to stimulus. A later MRI scan revealed a large tumour-like lesion.Mr Grayston, was rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where, after two days of tests, doctors finally diagnosed tumefactive demyelinating lesion — a rare form of MS in which sufferers develop lesions on the myelin sheath of neurons.“My life changed overnight,” Mr Grayston said.“It’s very frustrating — a complete shock to the system. A whole load of emotions came out and there are times when it got very depressing. I was also tired and confused all the time. If I was allowed to sleep all day I probably would. I had been pretty active before and then, suddenly, I didn’t have the energy for anything.“I loved my work — I gave my life to marine mechanics. I was always mechanically minded and loved taking apart and putting things back together. It was a hobby of mine. I also loved spending weekends with my family, especially my two children.“Perhaps the saddest thing is the reaction of my children. They’re confused by it all. My daughter keeps saying that Daddy isn’t fun anymore. He’s not the same.”A three-day session of steroids reduced the swelling, and Mr Grayston returned to Bermuda. But by the end of April, his condition had worsened. Another MRI scan showed that the growth had increased in size to 2.5 inches. Mr. Grayston and his wife flew up to Boston by air ambulance that night.“It was growing and had doubled in size,” Mrs Grayston said.“We’ve been told that, if it gets any bigger, David will lose his sight and the ability to speak.”Despite that grim prognosis, Mr Grayston has defied the odds and actually improved physically in the last three months. The tumour, which is inoperable, has stopped growing for now and therapy sessions both here and during his stay in Boston have seen the keen golfer improve physically. Initially confined to a wheelchair, he advanced to a walker and now gets around with just a cane.But Mr Grayston still needs support and his wife has taken an unpaid leave of absence from her job to care for him and their two young children, aged seven and four. And while physiotherapy sessions are available here, he still needs to travel overseas on a regular basis to be given speech therapy. Thankfully, friends and colleagues have rallied around, raising funds to pay medical fees.“We would just like to say a very big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has helped as well as donated,” Mrs Grayston said.“We are so appreciative of everything that everyone has done — family, friends, the whole community really has come out to help.”Because the disease is so rare, doctors cannot explain why the lesion has stopped growing for now or what might cause it to start spreading further.“But I’m an optimist. I’ve always been optimistic and that’s what we have to be now,” Mr Grayston said.“Some doctors have said that I will never walk without the use of a cane but in my mind I’m going to progress further. I’ll never be able to run or regain certain functions, but my target is to recover from this. There are frustrations every day, but I have a really good outlook and I believe that I’ll get to the point where I’ll be able to function again.“What this has taught me is that we each have to live our lives to the fullest. We have to enjoy every moment with our families because it can all be taken from you at the drop of a hat.”