By ALANA MITCHELSON
A Leopold man will wheel 50 kilometres in his wheelchair each month for the rest of the year to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND).
Chris Hall hopes to raise $1500 for MND Australia by the end of the year to support research towards finding a cure for motor neurone disease.
The 41-year-old’s interest in this cause developed when a work colleague with the disease became unwell. She recently passed away.
“I didn’t know much about motor neurone disease before that so I read up on it and how quickly it can affect people,” he said.
“The fact that there’s no cure really got to me. I wanted to do something to help. I’d like to make a difference.”
About four times a week, Mr Hall ‘exercise wheels’ at Eastern Beach from the swimming enclosure, along the waterfront, up Cunningham Pier, past the skate park and back.
He also plans to enter events such as Run Geelong and Walk to D-Feet MND to raise more awareness for motor neurone disease.
“When I was younger I was in and out of hospital a lot,” Mr Hall said.
“I’ve had 25 operations in my life – on my legs and back – and they put rods in my back to correct my scoliosis. I was walking on sticks for some time but it didn’t work out for me.
“This is my way of thanking the doctors and nurses for everything that they do. I wanted to give something back.”
Mr Hall’s fundraising goal also hopes to illustrate the importance of fitness for those confined to a wheelchair.
“There’s a lot of negative things that you read about the NDIS but accessing personal training through some of the funding has done really positive things for me and my self-esteem,” he said.
“I’ve lost 11kg and really built my upper body strength.
“As well as my fitness, my family has also noticed the difference to my mental wellbeing.
“Even a year ago I didn’t think I would be able to do something like this. It’s been a lot of hard work, with all of the weights training.”
Mr Hall plans to progressively increase the distance he wheels each month as a personal challenge and to inspire people to get behind his cause.
His personal best for the month of January during any one session was 5.42 kilometres.
But he is concerned his application for personal training funding may be rejected this year.
“If personal training is no longer funded by NDIS, it’s going to be a shame. I wouldn’t be able to afford it,” Mr Hall said.
“It’s hard to know what my strength will be like down the track if my appeal for personal training funding through NDIS is rejected.
“I might not be able to achieve my goals in life.”
Mr Hall said people could support his cause by donating at gofundme.com/j9hpwhr8 or mycause.com.au/page/117997, and that people could follow his progress at his Wheel 4 MND Facebook group.
