Pride of Australia: Cure for MND foundation is Ian Davis’ legacy of hope

IAN Davis holds his son ­Archie, knowing he won’t be able to for much longer. The young father, who has MND, has started to lose grip in his left hand.

IAN Davis holds his son ­Archie, knowing he won’t be able to for much longer.

The young father has started to lose grip in his left hand.

Soon his right will follow.

He knows that in time he won’t be able to walk or talk and somehow, he’s accepted that.

But knowing he won’t be able to hug his baby boy or wife Mel, that’s too hard to get over.

“Those are the things that really get me down,” he said.

It’s the cruel reality of a disease with no cure, which strips its victims of everything but their consciousness. Each day, they watch their body take ­another step toward paralysis.

When Dr Davis finished medical school in 2006, he was handed a government survey given to every graduate.

It asked: “What disease would you least like to be afflicted with?” He wrote: motor neurone disease.

Five years later, he diagnosed himself with it.

“I’d worked all my life to reach a point where I could help people and then that was basically snatched away,” the oncologist said.

“But I thought, ‘Well, if I can’t do that, maybe I can help people with MND after me’.”

He founded the Cure for MND foundation last year — a legacy for the two Australians who die of the disease each day and a ray of hope for the two diagnosed each day.

Dr Davis has been nominated for a Community Spirit Medal in the Pride of Australia awards.

Nominations for Victoria’s local legends end today at heraldsun.com.au/prideofaustralia.

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