Together we can make a difference.

By Paycare
schedule23rd May 14

Judy Richards, an employee at Paycare, found out that her daughter, Abbie Richards, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease in July 2006. Abbie was at the young age of 21 and just finishing her last year at university when she was told that she had the incurable disease. She first started experiencing muscle loss in her hands and legs and her condition rapidly progressed to affect her verbal communication and physical ability within six months.

Motor Neurone Disease is a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. It attacks the nerves that control movement; people can still think and feel but are locked in their bodies by their muscles refusing to work. MND is a fatal, rapidly progressive disease that can affect any adult at any time. The life expectancy after being diagnosed is quite short (14 months on average). Over 5,000 people in the UK are facing life with MND, yet not that many people have heard of the disease and how drastically it can change a person’s life.

Abbie now uses special technology to communicate with her family and friends called, Eye Gaze. The high-tech system has an inbuilt camera which tracks where Abbie’s eyes are looking, enabling her to move the mouse pointer around. You can 'click' by blinking or staring at the screen for a certain length of time. Abbie has also used this software to complete two college diplomas as well as a communication tool.

The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) was formed in 1979 and their mission is to fund and promote research to bring about an end to MND. It is the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that funds and promotes global research into the disease and provides support for people affected by MND. Their aim is to enable everyone with MND to receive the best care and achieve the highest quality of life possible, and to die with dignity. At the moment, there is no cure for MND and that’s where we need your help! The more people that know about the disease and can help raise its awareness; will be a step in the right direction of helping to find a cure.

After living with the condition for over 8 years Abbie and her carers, employed by Lifeway’s, want to do more to raise awareness of the disease. Her four brave support workers have agreed to skydive for MNDA to help raise funds for people living with the condition. Abbie spent a day setting up the Just Giving page using her Eye Gaze to help motivate her support workers, who are set to skydive next month. To find out more about the skydive and how you can help, please visit her page www.justgiving.com/Abbie-Richards1 .For more information on MNDA please visit www.mndassociation.org .MND is a cruel disease which affects so many people in different ways – let’s spread the word so no one has to face MND alone! Together we can make a difference.

Next month is MND national awareness month keep an eye out for daily posts and news articles by following Paycare on Twitter and Facebook.