Naomi Cocksedge, a firefighter from Windang in NSW was born into a family with a remarkable story. A remarkable story with a devastating twist that would claim the lives of her grandmother, her mother, her sister as well as aunts, uncles and cousins.
This is because the majority of Naomi’s family (maternal side) carry a gene, which predisposes them to the development of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Motor Neurone Disease, is a disease, which you may have heard of, but chances are you don’t know much about it. Let Naomi fill in some of the blanks:
“Motor Neurone Disease is the worst disease. I have no hesitation in saying it is the worst disease in the world. It takes over the person’s body, shutting down muscles and organs one by one over a series of weeks, months or years until finally the person loses the ability to breathe and dies.
“People with Motor Neurone Disease have nothing. There is no treatment and no cure. So from the point of diagnosis they know that while their mind will remain healthy and active, their body will gradually shut down around them until they eventually die. Watching someone die of it is horrific.”