A POLICE officer living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has retired after almost 30 years, saving arguably his toughest challenge until last.
Dad-of-two Chris Johnson, who lives in Bromsgrove, vowed to walk 5,000 steps for the 5,000 people living with MND in the UK.
He gave himself just a fortnight to complete the challenge, raising almost £14,000 for charity MND Association in the process.
He bravely took his final steps at West Midlands Police’s HQ on his last day with the force.
The former Assistant Chief Constable, who now relies on a wheelchair to get around, carried on working after his diagnosis 18-months ago.
He met the devastating news head-on and vowed to continue fighting crime for as long as possible.
“When I got my MND diagnosis I was determined it would not define my policing career,” said the 53-year-old.
“I’ve always relished a challenge and completing 5,000 steps was really hard work.
“I did 100 or 150 at a time in the garden – two or three times a day – managing to inch closer to my target. It was fitting to do the final few steps at work.
“I am determined to remain positive and keep fighting, doing what I can to raise awareness and support to one day help find some form of treatment for those who may be diagnosed in the future.”
In addition to raising awareness for MND – which has included interviews on national TV ad radio – Chris has also used his experience to urge all employers to look past disability when recruiting.
He added: “Laptops and remote meetings meant I was still been able to play my part.
“We’ve certainly come a long way since I joined in 1991, which was a time of telex machines, pagers, faxes and an office filled with card index systems.”
Visit https://tinyurl.com/y5p8xla3 to donate to Chris’ Just Giving Page.
For more on the MND Association see https://tinyurl.com/yxeo7p2x.
