We at the Durham University Line Up Fashion Show 2024 are raising funds for an important charity: My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

Our aim is to inspire passion for sport and celebrate the athletes who compete for Durham University in their sports, while raising money for and awareness of Motor Neurone Disease treatment and research. Doddie was a talented rugby player, and embodies our link between sport and helping those in need

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In March 2020, my grandpa passed away just 18 months after his MND diagnosis. From a young age he was heavily involved in sport, playing golf, cricket, rugby, tennis, and squash. His passion for sport continued into later life, and he took great pride in his captaincy at the local golf club. He absolutely loved watching any kind of live sport, especially if his children or grandchildren were involved. I’m sure he would be thrilled – bursting with pride even – to know that I am stepping outside of my comfort zone in his name to raise money for My Name’5 Doddie.

There is currently no cure and no treatment for MND; every day with MND is different, and no two people are the same. They didn’t know how my grandpa’s MND would progress, but from the outset he decided that he wouldn’t dwell on it. He was grateful to have lived a long and healthy life surrounded by those he loved, and his diagnosis therefore did not define him. He was determined to crack on with things: get moving, get out. I admired him for how incredibly calm and upbeat he remained right until the end; in his words, simply, ‘what will be will be’. He was never distressed, and he was dignified.

From the very beginning, my grandma and grandpa were offered the support of a specialist MND nurse – Kate. Her role is to support families after diagnosis, and she was simply amazing. Kate was unfaltering in her support, often providing the much-needed shoulder for my grandma to lean on. Kate visited my grandparents at their house as often as they required. She would check his blood pressure and heart but was primarily there to support them both. Ultimately when the time came, it was Kate who asked my grandpa where he wanted to die.

A week after my grandpa’s passing in March 2020, the country went into national lockdown. Having cared for my grandpa for 18 months, my grandma was now alone. But Kate’s support extended well beyond my grandpa’s passing, and she became a regular Zoom call throughout lockdown. Her genuine warmth and compassion held my grandma together during this time. People like Kate can ease so much suffering during such an uncertain time. As a family, we cannot thank Kate enough for her love and support. The impact of the incredible work of Kate and MND nurses like her cannot be underestimated.

We hope that one day in the not-too-distant future, there will be effective treatment and an eventual cure for MND.