Footy legend Neale Daniher’s thankyou to Australians helping in MND fight

EXCLUSIVE: Footy great Neale Daniher gives a heartfelt thankyou to the thousands who dug deep at the Big Freeze 3 to help fight his beast of a disease.

Neale Daniher with his wife, Jan, and two of their four children, Bec and Lauren.

MOTOR Neurone Disease steals a lot of things. It takes away your speech, your walking, your ability to chew food and swallow. Eventually it takes your breath.

Two years ago, when I stood at the top of the first Big Freeze slide at the MCG, one of the toughest things MND had stolen was my certainty.

I didn’t know what my future would look like. I almost certainly didn’t think I’d be standing –yes, standing - for the third time, sending sliders down to the iced plunge pool.

But there I was. I looked across the stadium last Monday and saw the Freeze Army — the sea of blue beanies at the Melbourne-Collingwood match. And I felt lucky.

Neale Daniher sends off Big Freeze 3 slider Andrew Gaze at the MCG. Picture: Michael Klein

I’m lucky that I can still walk — many people are in a wheelchair by the time they hit their first year after diagnosis. I’m lucky that I have been able to witness this swell of support for fighting MND. I’m lucky that through FightMND I can help provide hope for future generations of MND patients.

The Big Freeze has become the biggest national fundraiser for MND. The campaign leading up to last Monday’s event raised $4.6 million. FightMND’s efforts across the three Freezes has reached more than $12.6 million.

To everyone involved — from the Freeze Army of supporters, the volunteers, the corporations and the governments — thankyou.

The effort will take years. Research takes time and our sights are set on a cure.

We started the fight in December 2014. We have already directed millions to three clinical drug trials and trial-focused research project teams across the nation. We take advice from local and international MND experts on where the money goes. We want the best value possible for every single one of the dollars you have given.

PhD student Ted Wang from the Florey Institute is helping to find a cure for MND. He is with Angie Cunningham’s daughters Maggie and Sophie. Picture: Tony Gough

We want the more than 2000 Australians with MND to know there’s hope.

This year’s Big Freeze event was a true celebration. Enjoying the day with co-founder and friend, Dr Ian Davis, was special. Both of us were grateful to be there. The disease took our friend and fellow MND fighter, Angie Cunningham, last year. She will always be part of this day.

This year’s sliders — Steve Moneghetti, Lleyton Hewitt, Andrew Gaze, Alisa Camplin, Adam Glichrist, Sharelle McMahon, Steven Bradbury and Steve Hooker — stepped forward to support our “Green and gold — heart and soul” theme. Steve’s mix of fun and empathy was the glue for this event.

Steve Moneghetti takes the plunge into the Big Freeze 3 pool on Monday.

The Daniher family — my wife and children and my 10 brothers and sisters — have warmed my heart as their spirits and efforts strengthen with the continuing fight. And the 200-plus volunteers rattling containers and selling beanies have spurred the community on to dig into their pockets and help out. Some of those were inspired to help through their own families’ experiences with MND.

Generosity of friends in football and other sport continue to surprise me. There are many contributors behind the scenes but without the Sunday Herald Sun, Herald Sun AFL CrownBet Community Partnership, AHG, Channel 7 and Melbourne Football Club the event would have faltered.

I stand with FightMND supporter, Todd Bartum, who summed it up in an online post: “A big thx to everyone involved with this, as we people who have it (MND) feel the love.”

The outpouring of Australians’ generosity at Big Freeze time humbles and inspires me.

The mark of a person is not what you say, but what you do. I thank all the “doers” who make up the Big Freeze Army — from the handful of anonymous philanthropists to the 1500 who built awareness with beanie selfies on social media.

When I was diagnosed with MND in 2014, there was little hope. Now, thanks to these funds and the research they support, there is definitely hope.

Neale Daniher at Monday’s Big Freeze 3 says now MND sufferers can have hope there’ll one day be a cure.

This disease is cruel. It is harder to live with each day. Two people died yesterday from MND, two will die today and two tomorrow. For these people, I will keep working.

If we fight today others won’t have to lose the battle to MND in future. Stay with us. We’ll have to keep fighting. It’s never too late to get behind FightMND.

Sincerely,

Neale Daniher

www.fightmnd.org.au

Neale Daniher with his wife, Jan, and two of their four children, Bec and Lauren.