A KELTY man is going the extra mile for charity after being diagnosed with a debilitating condition.

Grant Manzie, 34, was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease in 2022 and said the illness has turned his life upside down.

He suffers regular 'attacks' which see him go dizzy, unable to stand and this often comes with sickness.

"It started back on August 20, 2021 – I still remember the day," he said. "I was sitting at my desk working from home and started to feel really hot and light headed and wondered what was going on. I tried to stand up and I was staggering about.

"I fell into the door and was hitting on to the wall and I knew my wife was downstairs. I got to the top of the stairs and they were like waves and I knew I could not go down them.

"I had to call her upstairs. I wondered if I had not eaten enough or had not had enough sugar or was dehydrated. I had to sit down and was all dizzy. I never knew what was going on and tried to go to sleep but I couldn't sleep because the room was spinning.

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"Three hours later it just all disappeared like the snap of a finger. I was totally back to normal."

Several episodes later, Grant was referred by his GP to ENT and, following a series of appointment and MRI scans, he was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease.

"At his point, I was like what is that, I had no idea," he added. "My ear was full. It felt full and heavy which I still suffer. The tinnitus is constant. I have partially lost hearing. I cannot wear a hearing aid because the hearing is so loud.

"I went home and researched what it was. There is no cure for it, there is no background how it happens.

"I was fit, I was healthy, I am a dad, I have three kids. Everything since then has just disappeared from me, feeling confident and things like that. Public transport is a struggle. I struggle to go on alone because I am scared something happens.

"I will only go places, say I go to a football match, where I know there is medical help. I wont go to Asda or Tesco without my wife in case anything happens."

Grant plans to run 100K in November to raise funds and awareness for the Meniere's Society who provide support to patients and their families.

The charity works to help improve the lives of people affected by dizziness and imbalance.

"There is just not enough awareness around it. The Menieres Society has a support network there. It is investing a lot in trying to find out why this happens and a cure for it, as it is incurable just now," he added.

"At the moment you can only take medicine to try and minimise the impact. I live with it. I take six tablets a day and it is the mental challenge of it. When I know I am about to get an attack, it is trying to prepare your mind for it. You know you have to stay strong and it is so mentally draining.

"After it finishes, it takes three or four days to start feeling normal again.

"It is a completely new way of living for me and what I am trying to do is find my new normal."

Anyone wanting to help Grant with his fundraising can do so here.