Janine Stoodley with her husband Paul Stoodley.
Camera IconJanine Stoodley with her husband Paul Stoodley. Credit: Supplied/Marcelo Palacios

Women fights on to help MND sufferers

Staff ReporterComment News

The neurological disease affects the cells that control voluntary muscle activity, including speaking, walking, swallow- ing and general movement.

It is generally progressive in nature, and causes increasingly debilitating disability and, eventually, death.

Since her diagnosis in 2010, the disease has thrown many challenges her way, but Mrs Stoodley is focused on helping other sufferers during the MND Global Awareness Day lunch on June 21.

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‘I feel that I have this disease to make more people aware of MND,’ she said.

‘I want people to understand how it affects not only the sufferer, but their family, loved ones and all the people around them.’

A software program called Tobii, which translates Mrs Stoodley’s eye movement to text and then to speech, is providing some relief to her isolation.

Describing the program as her ‘lifeline’, Mrs Stoodley said awareness was vital to encourage more funding for programs such as this one.

‘I want to raise awareness and funds to improve their quality of life, but also to raise funds for research to find out what causes this disease and eventually find a cure to give hope to future MND sufferers,’ she said.

‘That’s why I keep fighting, to give others hope.’