A FATHER-of-two who has a rare condition which means he can fall asleep and never wake up is fundraising for an assistance dog to give him back his independence.

Jonathan Sheldon, 39, got chicken pox in May 2013, which triggered post viral fatigue - leading to full blown Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).

This left him bed bound, sleeping up to 22 hours a day. He returned to work in November 2014 after showing signs of recovery.

However, this was short lived. By April 2015, Jonathan was collapsing daily, sweating excessively and had extreme fatigue that left him feeling barely able to breathe.

In October 2015 he was finally diagnosed with Addison’s disease - a rare condition where your body does not produce enough of two essential hormones, cortisol and aldosterone.

Although this can be treated with medication in most cases, Johnathan is an exception and has not recovered.

He has already slipped into Addison’s comas on several occasions and has only been brought back due to the quick action of his wife, Nicola, and paramedics.

On one occasion, she said she found him “white and blue” and only breathing three times a minute.

Nicola said: “He lives daily with the fear that he may sleep and not wake up, trying desperately to sleep only during the day when he can be monitored more closely.

“He’s scared of moving about when unsupervised in case he collapses and seriously hurts himself. Simple trips to the toilet can be daunting for him.

“He’s the love of my life and it breaks my heart watching him struggle each day.

“It’s hard to watch such a strong man be reduced to an existence where he mostly watches life going on around him. A life where he can’t be involved with our family as it’s physically too much for him.”

A specially trained assistance dog could be his lifeline. It will be able to detect when his hormone levels get low, prompting him to take medication, alert someone if he goes into a coma and give him support when he collapses.

Although there are charities that provide the dogs, the waiting lists run into the years and the family is keen to get a dog for him quickly. They are hoping to raise £16,000 to get a private firm to train one.

Nicola added that getting a dog was a matter of “life and death.”

She added: “There is a real safety aspect to it as his gag reflex stops working so he has woken up with his lungs filled with blood or sick in his moth so there is a real worry he could choke.

“It would also help improve his independence and give him more reason to get up as he would have to continue the dog’s training.”

To donate, visit gofundme.com/medicalassistance-dog-for-jonathan