Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With sadness, I rise today to say farewell to an incredible member of the Queanbeyan community. After a long battle with motor neurone disease, Queanbeyan mother of five Tascha Loadsman passed away on Sunday. My heart goes out to Tascha's husband, Matt, her children, her family, her friends and the broader Queanbeyan community who are mourning this loss.

Tascha was a remarkable woman. She served in the ADF for more than a decade, moving around Australia before settling in Queanbeyan in 2013. She was a business owner, dedicated mother and an extremely active woman until her motor neurone disease diagnosis. With no known cure, the past three years have been incredibly difficult for Tascha and her family as her body shut down.

I first met Tascha almost two years ago to discuss her application to the NDIS, for a lift, and that application wasn't met. By this time, Tascha was confined to a wheelchair and needed support every day. MND is terminal. There is no cure. Despite this, Tascha remained strong and fought every single day. Not only was she fighting her own battle every single day; she was letting other people in on that battle by documenting it on social media on a page called You, Me & MND. She let her voice advocate respite care in Queanbeyan. She spoke out about the need for respite care in Queanbeyan and gave an honest account of her experiences in the hope that others wouldn't need to travel to Canberra to access care.

Tascha's husband, Matt, and her children will be celebrating Tascha's life this Friday. It will be a colourful celebration of a beautiful woman who made the world a better place. Vale, Tascha Loadsman.