Motor neurone disease
Gary MAAS (Narre Warren South) (10:05): I recently joined several of my colleagues, friends and community members to walk around Lake Pakenham in support of MND Victoria and the wonderful member for Pakenham. As we all know, the member for Pakenham has recently had a diagnosis of motor neurone disease. The fifth annual Walk to Support saw hundreds of people don blue shirts and walk or wheel to raise awareness and funds for MND Victoria. MND Victoria are a not-for-profit delivering care, support and vital assistive equipment to people living with MND. They also undertake crucial research into the cause of and cure for the disease. The member for Pakenham has handled her diagnosis with grace and courage, and we are all just so proud of the way that she is raising awareness about the beast while continuing to serve her community.
It was also wonderful to see nine-year-old Finn Cadman and his mum Colleen there too. Finn attends Hillsmeade Primary School in my electorate. At that age he is such a passionate advocate for MND after his grandpa, also known as Glampa, was diagnosed with the disease this year. He managed to raise some $6000 at the Great MND Relay earlier this year, making him Victoria’s top fundraiser. His dedication to the cause has seen him visit our Parliament as well as meet several MPs and the Premier too. We keep fighting for the member for Pakenham.