Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is Motor Neurone Disease Global Day. Motor neurone disease is the name given to a group of diseases in which the muscles gradually weaken and waste away. One by one, people lose the ability to walk, talk and then to swallow. This disease has no known cause, no known cure and no effective treatment. It is estimated there are about 1,400 people Australians who have been diagnosed with MND.

Today I would like to pay tribute to one of these people. His name is Scott Sullivan. I met Scott just a few weeks ago. Scott, his wife Sarah, and their two young children, Abbey and Charlie, live in Coorparoo in my local community in Brisbane. In 2010, Scott, who is a very young man, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. He told me his life expectancy is between three and five years. He is a strong man and resolute. Shortly after his diagnosis, Scott helped launch the MND and Me Foundation. A few months back he was awarded the Pride of Australia Courage Medal for Queensland for his efforts. The MND and Me Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that raises funds for research into finding a cure and provides practical support to ensure that those who live with this terrible disease and their families are properly looked after. I urge all honourable members and the entire Australian community to show your support for organisations like the MND and Me Foundation. Let us try to beat this insidious disease.