Pamela and myself would like to do our bit to help those effected by Motor Neurones Disease in Northern Ireland. We are walking continuously for 24 hours together (anyone who wishes to join us for an hour are more than welcome) with a charity event that evening.

In NI we have an approximate population of 1.9 million and only ever a max of 120 people diagnosed at one time. This illness is terminal with no treatment.

In 2021 my dad Raymond Hill got the dreaded news and was diagnosed with this illness.

What Is MND?

With MND, messages from the motor neurones gradually stop reaching the muscles. This leads the muscles to weaken, stiffen and waste. MND can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. Some people also experience changes to their thinking and behaviour. However, MND affects everyone differently. Not all symptoms will affect everyone, or in the same order. Symptoms also progress at varying speeds, which makes the course of the disease difficult to predict.

MND is life-shortening and there is no cure. Although the disease will progress, symptoms can be managed to help achieve the best possible quality of life.

It can affect adults of any age, but is more likely to affect people over 50.

There is a 1 in 300 risk of being diagnosed with MND. In other words, if you have 10,000 people in a stadium, 33 of them will get MND at some point across a normal lifespan.