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Headlines 7 R ay had been playing golf with a friend, Rob, who was a doctor. After Ray said he was getting numbness in his hands and feet, ob sent him to Wellington Hospital. Afterwards, Ray was referred to Professor Martin Pollock, a Dunedin neurologist, who diagnosed Ray with CMT and explained the implications. Ray says he felt very sad while he came to terms with his diagnosis. He missed the things he was no longer able to do. Around the time, Ray and Barb suffered another cruel blow when their daughter, Sophia, was also diagnosed with CMT. She’d been diagnosed with hip displacement at the age of 10, which they later found out can be an early clinical sign of CMT. (Their other daughter, Amanda, has no symptoms of the disorder.) Sophia is proactive in managing her condition and stays very active. Fortunately, she has only recently started developing symptoms in her hands and is now using a carbon fibre brace for her leg and foot. While Ray misses being able to play his beloved golf, he hopes to remain mobile for as long as possible. He stays focused on goals – such as seeing his granddaughters graduate – and is always mindful that there are people worse off than him. His advice to others with CMT is to stay positive – support is there if they need it and want it. After Ray’s diagnosis, Barb started donating to the Neurological Foundation in the hope that one day there would be cures. The idea of leaving a gift in her Will came about after Professor Pollock told Ray there would be no cure in his lifetime, but there might be in Sophia’s. Living with CMT in the family Ray Roydhouse was 50 when he received a life-changing diagnosis of CMT. Prior to Ray’s diagnosis, he’d had an extremely busy life. He ran a printing business and was raising two daughters with his wife, Barb – and he absolutely loved his golf. In fact, it was on the golf course that CMT first entered the frame.