A proud Royal Australian Navy veteran, Amy was used to being strong, capable, and in control. When she began noticing weakness in her legs, doctors first thought it was a back injury. After months of tests, Amy was told it was likely a form of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
“At first,” Amy says, “we thought we could handle it on our own. But the truth is, it’s terrifying. Every day you wake up wondering what you’ll lose next.”
Like so many people newly diagnosed, Amy didn’t know where to turn or what support was available. Then Amy reached out to the Motor Neurone Disease Association of WA (MNDAWA), and everything changed.
“The day our MND Advisor came to our house was the first day I didn’t feel alone,” Amy recalls. “She sat with us, listened, and helped us understand what we were facing. She connected us with the right people and showed us the practical help that was out there. We didn’t even know half of it existed.”
That’s what MNDAWA does every single day.
When someone in Western Australia is diagnosed with MND, our Advisors are there to help, in person, on the phone, and out in the community. We:
💙 Visit people in their homes to provide information, guidance, and emotional support.
💙 Liaise with neurologists, nurses, and allied health teams, making sure no one has to navigate the system alone.
💙 Loan essential equipment like wheelchairs, shower chairs, and communication aids when they’re needed most, often within days.
💙 Create safe spaces through events, education, and Pamper Days, where people like Amy can meet others who simply understand.
For Amy and her wife, Jilly, that support brought both relief and hope. “We’d been trying to hold it all together,” Amy says, “but MNDAWA helped us breathe again. They guided us, connected us, and gave us someone to call when things got scary. More than that, they gave us community.”
At the recent Pamper Day, Amy met others living with MND for the first time. She expected it to be confronting. Instead, she found belonging.
“It was beautiful,” she says. “Everyone was so kind and welcoming. For the first time, I wasn’t explaining myself.
Everyone just got it. That sense of understanding, that’s what hope feels like.”
Your gift this Christmas makes that hope possible.
Your donation helps MNDAWA continue providing this vital, personal support, not just for Amy and Jilly, but for every family across WA facing MND.
“There’s no cure yet,” Amy says, “but there’s still hope, hope in the people who care enough to help. It’s hope that says: we’ve got your back, and this hope is facilitated by the amazing team at MNDAWA”
This Christmas, please give the gift of hope to families facing MND. Because while MND can take away strength, speech, and movement, together we can make sure it never takes away hope.
Donate now