That's when he was dealt an unexpected blow when he discovered he had a crippling illness that looks set to leave him facing life in a wheelchair.

He now endures a constant battle with pain after being diagnosed not only with curvatures of the spine, but also osteoporosis.

EMMA GREENHALGH reports.

YOUNG dad Carl Cockburn finds it heartbreaking trying to explain to his baffled young son why he can't come and play football.

Carl, 28, is so badly debilitated by his condition, the top part of his spine curves outwards while the bottom half curves inwards leaving his back in an S-shape.

As a consequence he leans forward putting such pressure on his ribs that they have been forced backwards, poking into his insides and making it uncomfortable to breathe.

He is in so much pain that he has to be dosed up with high levels of morphine just to be able to get out of bed on a morning.

Carl, of Faulder Walk, Hartlepool, said: "I feel really sorry for my son Lewis. He is always trying to pull me up and get me to play with him. But all I can do is play board and computer games with him, I can't have a game of football."
Carl described his suffering as "a constant red hot pain" that feels like it is pulling down on his back.

He said: "It feels heavy all the time like it's pulling down on me. My ribs are getting pushed down constantly and you can feel it inside."

The pain is worse when he lies down. As a result, he only gets around three hours sleep a night.

Carl and his fiancee, Tara Stallard, appeared in the Mail as one of the final six couples in the Mail's Bride of the Year competition.

Speaking of his condition, he said: "I lay on my back and all my nerves start jumping and I start kicking Tara because I don't have control of my nerves."

Tara is the mother of their four-year-old son Lewis. She is also Carl's full-time carer and devotes her life to making things easier for him.

The former cake factory worker helps Carl in all sorts of ways from getting dressed in the morning, to helping him off the couch.

Every day is different depending on how bad Carl feels in the morning, she says.
She said: "It's awful seeing him get worse. Other families can say 'we will go out for the day tomorrow' but we have to wait and see what he is like when he gets up."

Tara, 25, has also recently discovered that she is 10 weeks pregnant and despite her worries, is overjoyed.

She said: "I'm over the moon that I'm pregnant.

"It's just that I worry now in case he gets any worse and I'm left with two babies and Carl in a wheelchair."

Carl's aunt, Amanda Stallard, 42, is married to Tara's dad, Mick Stallard, 56.

Carl said everyone, and especially Amanda, has been a huge support and are delighted by the news.

He said: "We wanted another one and I'm really happy about it."

Tara said that the most difficult thing is trying to explain Carl's condition to Lewis.

She said: "Lewis does not understand why his dad can't play. He will say 'Are you coming on the trampoline?' but no way could he do that."

Little Lewis, a St Aidan's Primary School pupil, also has to cope with epilepsy which he has had since birth and his parents are currently looking for the correct tablets to treat it.

The proud dad said: "It's a bit of a nightmare but he keeps me going, he has a cheeky smile and lots of energy."

Seven years ago Carl worked as a forklift driver during the foot-and-mouth outbreak and said that he loved to work, believing that he was building a life for the future.

He said: "I think it's worse because I never saw it coming. I used to work all the hours that God sends.

"I was looking forward to getting my own property, my own home.

"I never thought I would end up wheelchair bound and I'm still hoping that I won't. I would rather be in pain than be in a wheelchair."