When a 23-year-old Beverly Aspin had a cancerous lump removed from her leg in 2003, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Harrogate schoolboy, Sam, had such a close relationship with his grandma that mum Lisa Hunter said they seemed to have their own language.

For the Platt family, it meant husband and doting dad Neil would get full-time specialist clinical care as the family from Starbeck came to terms with the reality of life with motor neurone disease (MND).

David Bevins, 66, of Harrogate, has been living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - a progressive lung disease which makes it difficult to breathe - since 2000 and was looking forward to retiring from his part-time job with Asda.

But shortly after he retired, his illness deteriorated rapidly and he was referred to Saint Michael’s day therapy for support. Here, David explains the difference Saint Michael’s has made to his quality of life.