We Support
TARGET $500,000
In February 1994 my Grandfather, Opa (Dutch for Grandfather), was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). He was told he only had around 3 - 5 years to live. He was told to go on holidays and do all the things he and Oma (Dutch for Grandma) had always wanted to do. That was nearly 16 years ago and he is still with us today.
MND is the name given to a group of diseases in which the nerve cells (neurones) controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe and swallow undergo degeneration and die. Motor function is controlled by upper motor neurones in the brain that descend to the spinal cord; these neurones activate anterior horn cells (lower motor neurones). The lower motor neurones exit the spinal cord and directly activate muscles. With no nerves to activate them, muscles will gradually weaken and waste. So to put it simply, it slowly eats away at the sufferer’s motor skills and eventually the sufferer is unable to walk, talk and even eat unassisted.
Whenever I visit Opa up in Bendigo, I ask him how he’s doing and through Oma, he responds with his amusing sense of humour, “still kicking, you can’t kill weeds!”
Opa is a very strong man and an inspiration to everyone who has the pleasure of meeting him. He has always been a hard working, determined man and his fight with MND is a reflection of this. Although his speech and motor skills have deteriorated to the point that it is very hard to understand what he is saying and he cannot walk without the aid of a walking frame or wheelchair, his mind is perfectly sound and this makes the disease very frustrating for the sufferer.
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Opa and I at my Dad's wedding in April 2009
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To see someone who was once such a powerful, active, strong, family man deteriorate over the years has been heartbreaking but at the same time very humbling to see that despite MND taking away his ability to live a normal life, he has found happiness within himself.
Opa always manages a smile and still has his fantastic sense of humour. He was always a stirrer and still now he loves nothing more than to stir up his 6 sons, their wives, his 20 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. He still shows a great interest in what we’re all up to and gives us his advice and cheeky banter through the aid of Oma translating for him.
The MND Slogan is “Never Give Up”. Opa certainly lives by this slogan and always has. I wear the blue Never Give Up wrist band to remind myself when things get tough. MND has touched our family and the lives of many others around the world. At present there is no cure, but coordinated research is being carried out across the world and encouraging progress is being made. We support the MND Foundation by making quarterly donations, selling their products and encouraging our members to make donations, small or large, to help acheive The eBoomer's target of $500,000 in 5 years. There is a range of MND merchandise available for sale to help meet the fundraising goals. My favorite is the sports socks! I love sport and being active and the only socks I wear are the MND socks! They are fantastic quality, super comfortable and a huge bargain at only $6 each. To order merchandise click here to download the order form.
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