The big ๐ freeze ๐ฅถ ๐งโ๏ธ๐งข๐
motor neurone ๐ง disease ๐ค๐ค (MND).
In 2013, AFL ๐ great, Neale Daniher AO, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). Rather than inspiring him to tick off the bucket list, Neale s diagnosis did something else. It lit a fire within him. A determination to fight ๐ฅ ๐ซฏ for those affected by MND and those who will face it in the future.
Fast forward to 2014. Inspired by the success of the Ice ๐ง Bucket ๐ชฃ Challenge in raising awareness and funds for ALS, Neale knew he had to act. At the time, MND, also known as ALS, was largely overlooked.
Determined to make a change, Neale joined forces with 2 other passionate MND campaigners who shared his drive to shift Australia s MND landscape:
Dr. Ian Davis, a brilliant haematologist diagnosed with MND at just 33, and
Pat Cunningham, a devoted husband caring for his wife, Angie, as she fought the disease.
United by the same devastating reality, these three strangers met for the first time in a little cafe โ in Hawthorn. But they weren't meeting to find comfort in their shared sorrow. They came to take the fight to MND and, together, came up with a plan to make it happen.
A small, humble organisation of three, two of whom had a terminal illness. They often joked that it wasn t the most sustainable business model.
But their vision was clear. They would refuse to let MND remain in the shadows. They would push for better funding, better research and real progress.
But they knew this fight ๐ฅ ๐ซฏ was bigger than them. To truly drive change, they needed an Army. A community of supporters willing to stand beside them in battle. Through initiatives like the Big๐ Freeze๐ฅถ, Daniher s Drive, and Challenge 27, the community rallied together, proving that united efforts could make a real difference.
https://fightmnd.org.au/