Pip, 55, and Steve, 53, met through a Facebook dating group for people with hereditary spastic paraplegia. Despite living on opposite sides of the Atlantic, they fell in love

When Pip became unwell in her 40s, she struggled to find out what was wrong. “I kept tripping over and started to get really bad back pain,” she says. “I went from being able to hike and dance to losing control of one of my legs.”

In 2017, she was diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a rare degenerative condition that affects the brain and nervous system. “The symptoms vary for different people and at the moment there’s no cure,” she says. “My case is complex, with symptoms that include spasticity of muscles, spasms, chronic pain, gastric, bladder and bowel issues, as well as sensory problems, brain fog and losing motor control in my hands.”