Motor Neurone Disease facts

Up to 5,000 people in Britain have MND It stops the brain sending messages to muscles, which waste More people die of MND than Aids Most sufferers stay mentally alert It's not contagious

He said: "I get very emotional when I see Diane Pretty - I understand what she's going through and she's at a far more advanced stage than I am.

"It's like looking in the mirror - the ultimate end is the same."

Mr Fairbrother said people like Brian Pretty, who want to help a family member die, must be immune from prosecution.

But he also believes they should never face the choice: "If I got like Diane I would want euthanasia, but it would have to be two doctors. I want the law to allow it."

Hopeful

Mr Fairbrother, a father of two from Colchester, has been told he could live for up to ten years and remains hopeful that a cure may be found.

But he is also realistic about living with the disease, which stops the brain sending impulses to the muscles.

He was still working when he was diagnosed last June and is now barely able to walk.

Andy Fairbrother wants euthanasia legalised

The change is proving difficult to accept: "Your brain stays so active, you wake up in the morning and think 'right, I'll get up now'. It's only when you try that you remember you can't"

Without a change in the law or a cure Mr Fairbrother knows he faces a difficult future and very tough choices.

He said: "I have a friend who had offered (to help me die).

"He has said to me 'if it ever gets too much, just let me know'.

"That's a very hard thing for a friend to have to say."