Zoe’s shave for MND

Raising Awareness for MND

💙How great is it to see the growing awareness and support for Motor Neurone Disease (MND)?

Week after week, we are seeing people, sporting clubs and organisations getting behind the cause and helping shine a light on MND. From Senior and Junior sporting codes taking part in initiatives such as the Jai Arrow pose, to NSW as of the 1^st September, now recognising and reporting MND cases, the conversation around MND is becoming louder and more visible.

This growing awareness helps more people understand what MND is, the impact it can have on individuals and families, and why continued support and research are so important.

Most importantly, awareness brings us closer together. It helps us learn, understand and support those living with MND and the people around them.

Every conversation, every gesture and every show of support helps make a difference. 💙

The Strength of Community and Coming Together

Not just with MND, but any disease or diagnosis someone has, it is incredibly powerful when Communities come together. 

Whether it is a small group of friends, a workplace, a local community, an organisation or neighbours looking out for one another, every act of kindness matters.

Sharing the load, the education and simply the kindness can be all it takes. 

Listening without judgement, helping without fear and just being present is so important. 

What I love about our Community no matter what, everyone stands together, caring for one another and making sure that no one—whether they are living with a diagnosis or supporting someone they love—feels that they have to face it alone.

I hope my time in my Community I can help someone understand that all it could take is just asking a simple question like "How are you really going?" and then give them time to answer. 

What is MND ?

If you had asked me that two years ago, I probably would have said, “Umm… I really don’t know.”

Isn’t it just a disease that affects people in different ways? Some young, but mostly older people?

Take me forward those two years, and my answer is very different.

Yes, MND is a disease that can affect both young and old. But did you know it can affect more males than females? Did you know that more than 2,800 people were living with MND in Australia in 2025?

More than 2,800 families, relatives and friends whose lives are affected by MND.

And behind those numbers are so many more people—researchers, health professionals, volunteers, fundraisers, advocates, families and friends—fighting every day to raise awareness, support those living with MND, and, ultimately, help find a cure.

Two years ago, I barely knew what MND was.

Today, I know that behind those three letters are real people, real families and real stories. 

Lets keep fighting!

MND — What Does It Mean to Me?

Well, to tell you the truth, MND was never something I thought about very often.

As I mentioned previously, I have some experience in a caring situation, but my first real appreciation of what MND meant came when I attended an information session about 12 months ago. There, I had the opportunity to listen to several key speakers talk about MND — what it was, how it affected people, and just how differently it could impact each person and their families.

It was at that information session that I began to understand that MND was so much more than just a name I had occasionally heard in the news.

Everyone’s Story is different.

Working in community care has given me a deeper appreciation for the challenges people and their families face, and for the strength, resilience and courage that can be found in those journeys. 

Every person has a different story to tell. Every family has their own journey. And through the people I’ve had the privilege of caring for, I’ve learned that sometimes it’s the simple things — having someone listen, having a conversation, sharing a laugh, or simply being there — that can mean the most.