MND won’t wait

I’m supporting the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association campaign for the Welsh Assembly elections. The campaign – MND Won’t Wait – asks candidates to champion the needs of people with MND.

MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe. MND affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time and there is no cure, with more than half dying within two years of diagnosis.

The MND Won’t Wait campaign also draws attention to the fact that for a condition like MND, a timely and accurate diagnosis is crucial. In the Association’s last survey of people with MND in Wales, one in five people waited longer than a year between first visiting their GP and seeing a neurologist for diagnosis.

I am delighted to support the MND Won’t Wait campaign and champion people with MND if I am elected. My own family has experience of MND and I have seen the difference prompt diagnosis and good services make to the lives of those living with the condition. I believe everyone with this devastating disease should be supported to maximise their quality of life and die with dignity.

Further information about the campaign is available at www.mndassociation.org/mndwontwait