I WAS DYING LIMB BY LIMB

Waking up one Saturday in January 2020, my whole body felt like a lead weight. Reaching for my phone, I called my partner David, then 54, who was at work as a grounds operations manager. I’d gone to bed early the night before, hoping to shift the achy feeling that had crept over me. But, despite a lie-in, I couldn’t find the strength to get out of bed.

‘Can you come home?’ I asked David, who said he’d leave straightaway.

Then I noticed my arms and frowned - dark-red lines had appeared on my forearms. From my job as a project