A dedicated group of support workers from Gunnedah’s Sunnyfield Disability Service have joined together with the community for the second year to raise money in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
MND progressively damages parts of the nervous system, leading to muscle deterioration and paralysis. Eventually, sufferers are robbed of their ability to move, speak, and eventually, breathe.
Gunnedah Sunnyfield Disability Services Manager Lauren Muggleton said the group, colloquially known as “Sunny Gunny,” has already held one event, the Big Freeze at Kitchener Oval in Gunnedah on June 15, but two more fundraising efforts are to come.
“Our co-worker, Timothy Richter, had the idea because he’s into AFL, and they hold the Big Freeze every year on the June long weekend to help raise money and awareness about MND,” she said.
“Participants get dunked in ice water, and sponsors donate on their behalf, the whole idea being because the ice simulates what it feels like to have MND, you struggle to breathe, it stops your movement, stops you talking and takes your breath away.”
Inspired by client with MND
Last year the Sunny Gunny crew raised around $13,700 for Australian Charity FightMND, an organisation dedicated to finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for MND.
This year, they have already raised over $11,000, and two further fundraising efforts are to come. This Saturday, June 22, the group will be at the AFL MND Round at Wolseley Oval in Gunnedah, selling beanies, cookies, and socks.
The following Saturday, June 30, Gunnedah Golf Club will host a Charity Golf Day, complete with prizes, a raffle and an auction. Everyone is welcome to come along to socialise, however, those who want to play golf will need to call the Gunnedah Golf Club as normal to get a spot on the course.
According to Lauren, the whole initiative came out of a desire to help those who suffer from MND, after a client who had the disease inspired them.
“We had a client, a lovely guy, teacher, who had MND. His three main support workers, myself, Tim, and Karen wanted to do more to help, so last year we held our own Big Freeze to help raise money for FightMND,” she said.
“We felt so helpless; we were doing our job and supporting him, but you can’t really do much; sufferers deteriorate before your eyes; there is no cure, no way to stop it.
“This is the first year we have held a golf day, the best friend of our client who has sadly since passed away from MND suggested we have a golf day to honour his memory because our client loved to play, so all his golfing mates decided to band together for this event,” Lauren added.
Concerning MND statistics for Gunnedah
According to Fight MND, the average lifespan for someone with MND is two to five years. Treatments for MND designed to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life for individuals with the disorder exist, but there is no cure.
Lauren says the people of Gunnedah have a higher rate of the disease than average for reasons unknown, which is a big part of why the Sunny Gunny crew are trying to raise awareness and money to help fight MND.
“On average in Australia, 8.7 people per 100,000 have MND. But for Gunnedah, these statistics showed at one point, we had around five cases per 100,000 people,” she said.
“MND is not a notifiable disease at the moment; we think that needs to change; if health professionals have to report when someone is diagnosed with MND, it makes it easier to trace and link possible causes, environmental or otherwise and stop other family’s from going through this.”
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