MND Association Help when there is no Hope (The MND Association)

Member Name: newby2

Product:	The MND Association
Date:	21/12/08 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: help for sufferes

Disadvantages: having MND around

The MND Association.....


The MND association work with people who have the terminal illness Motor Neurone Disease. The Association are a charity and they rely upon donations and fundraising. They have a brilliant website that is useful to patients, families and carers, giving up-to-date support and information.

For those who do not know Motor Neurone Disease is a disease which affects 1 in 100,000 people. It affects men more than women and is more common in men between the ages of 50 and 65. It is a killer disease where the victim literally becomes a prisoner of their own body. The disease will attack the Motor neurones of the brain and cause the muscles in the body to tremor and then eventually die. Depending on where the condition starts i.e. arms or legs it will travel around the body until every muscle is dead leaving limp and useless limbs. The main cause of death for people with motor neurone disease is choking because the muscle that is used to swallow will eventually wither and die making swallowing impossible therefore, the patient will choke on their own saliva. Usually this will be one of the last muscles to go meaning that by this time the patient will probably be bed bound as the arm and leg muscles would have deteriorated so much that the patient would be severely disabled.

The heartbreaking thing is that the mind will be the same as it ever was and the feeling in the patient's body will be the same as before. The only thing that is changing it the patient's ability to move and to do things for themselves. Eating, walking and going to the bathroom are all things that the patient will need help with and to make things like this easier the patient will also need disability aids.

This is where the MND association comes into it. They are able to offer people aids to everyday living that people with this condition are to need. Of course, they have supplies in every district to loan out to patients but they will also subsidise the amount needed to buy larger aid items. I would think though that they have quite a lot in stock because people who are diagnosed with the most common form on MND will not last more than 3 years with the illness.

Not only do the MND association help with costs and equipment they also hold a lot of fundraising events around the country and have items for sale on their website. This is a good way to raise funds but the main thing is to raise awareness of this utterly cruel disease which by has to be the one thing NOT to get. Even with cancer you have a fighting chance but with MND there is nothing you can do but sit back deteriorate and wait to die.

The association is their to help with the emotional side of things too. For people who feel able to talk to someone then there are trainedpeople there to listen.. For some people though I think talking about it may seem like a waste of time because it really will not solve anything. At the end of the day the patient is still going to be solely dependat on a full time career and then die a horrible death. How a counsellor could indeed make everything alright I cant see.

However the MND association has a wonderful website which has everything anyone who is interested would need to know about. I suggest taking a look just so you are aware of this brutal disease because it really is time that a cure is found so we can stop people suffering this way.

One sad thing in this country is assisted suicide is not legal and really for cases such as this I would think an exception would have to be made. If the patient is of sound mind I cannot see why assisted suicide would be so wrong. We certainly wouldn't allow a dog to live like it then I think we should give people the right to decide.

Of course I don't think the MND association take sides on a debate such as this and they are neither saying that they are for or against assisted suicide but I am sure a poll would reveal interesting results.

Take a look at the website, it is very upsetting some of the stories they have ontheir but very informative:

www.mnd.org

Summary: a good organisation for a bad disease