'Perfectly healthy' dad left paralysed after walking dog given second tragic diagnosis

A “perfectly healthy” dad who was left paralysed after being diagnosed with a rare disease is now fighting cancer in a tragic double blow.

Stephen Collier was out walking his dog when he felt pins and needles all over his body in December 2014. Once home, the 64-year-old began struggling to breathe and was immediately rushed to hospital.

Soon after his arrival, Stephen stopped breathing and was unable to move. In order to save his life, doctors placed him into a coma – one he would not wake up from until six months later.

When he came round, Stephen was told he had Guillain-Barré syndrome. The very serious condition affects the nerves and impacts a sufferer’s feet, hands and limbs. Though some people make a full recovery, it can be life-threatening and can cause long-term problems.

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Sadly Stephen, from Rochdale, learned his body was half paralysed and he would never walk again. Due to the muscles in his tongue not working, he also had to learn how to speak again – a challenge that would take him several years to overcome.

Stephen now uses a wheelchair and lives in a care home. The condition led to him developing heart disease and diabetes and he needs to take around 25 separate medications a day. Despite the devastating disorder, Stephen is still able to strap a brush to his hand and paint.

But tragically, Stephen was dealt another heartbreaking blow when he was diagnosed with skin cancer last month. His daughter, Melissa Collier, said: “He can’t exercise and he has loads of broken bones, he’s quite accidental. They don’t heal because of the illness; he has casts all over him.

“They