Monday, May 6, 2013

MND awareness week


This is Daphne Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1953. Newly wed wife of John O'Brien.

Daphne was the daughter of Jean and Arthur Skeer.

She was one of five sisters. 

She was a mother of five.

She is the grandmother my girls never had the opportunity to meet.

She died in 1981, aged 51, from the effects of Motor Neurone Disease.

This week is national MND awareness week, May 5th to 11th, 2013. It is a week to acknowledge people living with the disease, and remember those that have died. 

MND is a terminal neurological disease. Sufferers lose the use of limbs, ability to speak, swallow and breathe as nerve cells die. There is no known cure and no effective treatment, most dying within five years of diagnosis.
Each day two people die, and two are diagnosed with MND, it is estimated there are 1500 sufferers in Australia.

The symbol for MND Australia is the fragile, yet hardy, blue cornflower (Centaurea cyanus). It represents the strength people living with MND have, coping with such a debilitating disease.




18 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear this story and hear those statistics. Before kids I worked for homecare and saw first hand how evil things like mnd and ms are. Do you know where to get those bands from as I would love to buy one.

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    1. This is the link for the online shop of the South Australian MND association. Must be sad for the families to watch sufferers deteriorate.

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    2. http://www.mndasa.com.au/?page_id=1182

      LOL! Sorry here is the link.

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  2. Thank you for raising awareness of this disease - I hope that they find a cure/prevention for it soon.

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  3. What a beautiful bride and what awful stats.

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  4. I never even heard of this disease...so sorry for your families loss on this issue. Keep sharing...communication is everything.

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  5. How saddening...I've never heard of this disease either.
    Such a pretty picture :)

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    1. It is known as Amyotrophic Lateral Schlerosis(ALS) or Lou Gehrigs disease (in america)after the baseball player who died from MND.

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  6. I don't know much about MND but it sounds like terrible disease. I'll be looking out for that logo. She was a beautiful woman.

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    1. I wish I had opportunity to meet her, even though she was my mother in law! Devastating that a disease can cripple and kill at such a young age.

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  7. My grandpa died of MND in 1993, he is so very, very missed. I was young and even I remember the rapid decline of a man who used to let us dance on the tops of his feet into a man who couldn't bring spoon to mouth. Heartbreaking. I had no idea it was MND week this week, I will be sure to share it.

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  8. We had a family friend pass away from this, he was young and it was very sad, it's such a cruel disease. Thanks for sharing your story Alicia. Didn't they just look so gorgeous in their wedding gowns back in the day. x

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    1. It's surprising how young this disease is taking sufferers.

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  9. We too had a good friends mum die from this....such a cruel disease. Thankyou for sharing and bringing awareness of MND week.

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    1. Glad to share this week with as many people as I can :)

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  10. Beautiful wedding photo - love photos from the past. Such a beautiful way to bring awareness! It's important to remember the people that any disease affects...

    Have a good week,
    ~ Jodie

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