- Published:
- Friday 11 October 2024 at 9:00 am
The Allan Labor Government is supporting the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and backing the extraordinary efforts of Neale Daniher and his family to raise awareness of the disease.
To launch FightMND’s Daniher Drive, the annual road trip makes its way around regional Victoria, the Labor Government announced a $50,000 donation to raise awareness and funds to fight the beast that is MND.
Neale Daniher, a former Essendon Football Club captain and coach of the Melbourne Football Club, founded FightMND after he was diagnosed with MND in 2013 and has since inspired the nation with his efforts to progress treatments and find a cure for the condition he calls “The Beast”.
More than 2,000 Australians are currently living with MND – and 58 per cent of these are under the age of 65.
Daniher’s Drive is a popular annual fundraising event under the organisation, alongside the Big Freeze which celebrated its 10th year in May. Funds raised during this event will go to more cutting-edge research including clinical trials and new drug development, as we continue down the road to find a cure for MND.
The Drive’s 250-member convoy started the road trip in Williamstown and with stops in Bendigo, Warrnambool and Lorne for a series of fun activities before returning to Melbourne on Sunday.
FightMND is hoping this year’s road trip will bring the total amount the organisation has raised in donations for research, treatment and patient care to more than $15 million.
The organisation has invested more than $85 million since its creation in 2014 in research including drug development and clinical trials, providing hope that a cure will be found for a disease that an estimated 2,100 Australians live with each day.
Since it was established, the Victorian Government has provided over $6.5 million to FightMND, including $250,000 for this year’s Big Freeze event in May.
The Government’s record investment of more than $1 billion in medical research over the last decade has cemented Victoria as a global hub for medical research, with a workforce of over 30,000 driving incredible breakthroughs in treatment and patient care.
To support the quest to find a cure for MND or find out more about Daniher’s Drive, go to fightmnd.org.au.
Quote attributable to Premier Jacinta Allan
“Neale Daniher is a Victorian hero – he has driven awareness of MND and critical funding for it right across Australia, all while he battles the disease himself. We are proud to support him and the fight against MND.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Medical Research Ben Carroll
“Fighting a debilitating disease like MND takes effort from all of us, and we’re proud to support Neale and the foundation to enable more cutting-edge medical research that brings us closer to a cure.”