Huntington's disease: 'My husband comes alive on the tennis court'

The wife of a man with Huntington’s disease has been explaining how playing tennis has had a remarkable effect on her husband's health.

Dirk Vervoorts, who is in his 50s, from Keyworth in Nottinghamshire, was diagnosed with the condition several years ago.

The disease damages the nerve cells in the brain and causes them to stop working properly.

Mr Vervoorts is unable to get himself ready in the morning or walk very far unaided, but his wife Jane said: "When he is on that tennis court, his reflexes, his brain is much sharper".

Prof Hugh Rickards, chair of the Huntington's Disease Association, added: "Doing those activities, particularly ones involving hand-eye coordination and thinking can be really beneficial to the brains of people with Huntington's Disease."

Video journalists: Natalie Jackson and Alex Thorp

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