The extended Pitson family will support Holbrook’s Big Freeze event to fight MND on Sunday 15 March. Pictured are Julie Pitson, daughter Georgie Haines, dad Stuart Pitson, daughter Laura Miles, with (at back) Tim Haines and Anthony Miles and (front) son James Pitson. Photo: Supplied.
When farmer Stuart Pitson was diagnosed with motor neurone disease 10 years ago, he was given two years to live.
“They gave us no options, no treatment path, and basically said good luck,” daughter Georgie Haines recalls.
More terrifying for the family was the knowledge that Stuart’s own father had been diagnosed with MND and died within 18 months, she explains.
The devastating news meant a major reshuffle was needed on the family farm, situated between Culcairn and Holbrook, with his children Laura, Georgie and James rallying to support their dad and mum Julie.
“I was at uni in Bendigo studying exercise physiology and my brother James was still at school,” Georgie says. “With the farm there was nothing in place, we were all young and it was a lot to take on at the time.”
But a determined Julie, a former ICU nurse, refused to accept that would be it. She gave up work to care for her husband and the family researched and chased down a little-known medication option at the time, Riluzole, known to slow down disease progression and extend survival.
A decade on, he might be a little slower and assisted by a walker, but Stuart intends to take the plunge into icy waters with other local “celebrities” at Holbrook’s Mini Freeze fundraiser event to ‘Fight MND’ on Sunday 15 March.
“Dad is actually going to go down the slide,” says Georgie, who will also brave the icy plunge with her brother James and at least a dozen others.
“We’ll have to fish him out down the bottom but his attitude is that there’s a lot of people in his position who couldn’t do this so why not! He’s living proof of staying positive and the benefits of what this awareness and fundraising campaign can achieve.”
Hosted by The Riverina Hotel Holbrook, the event aims to raise $15,000 to support the research work of FightMND, a charity founded and made famous by legendary Australian rules footballer and coach Neale Daniher.
Daniher, who was diagnosed with MND in 2013, has been tireless in raising the profile of this debilitating disease through the work of the charity and widely publicised Big Freeze event … accompanied by a sea of blue beanies.
Last year, the AFL great was named Australian of the Year, in recognition of his resilience and leadership in raising more than $100 million to “fight the beast”.
And that “beast” is relentless – MND is a progressive disease that gradually takes away a person’s use of their arms and legs, their ability to eat and swallow, their speech and ultimately, their ability to breathe … all in an average timeframe of just 27 months.
Georgie says the work of FightMND has been instrumental in changing her father’s own story.
“Dad is the proof of what Neale’s work has done,” she says.
“I know sometimes people might wonder what is done with money they donate to fundraisers but FightMND invests in programs that truly provide life-changing support for people like my dad.
“Dad has been on a trial for the past 18 months and in that time he hasn’t lost any more of his muscle tone or function. But these types of trials are just so astronomically expensive it would be impossible for us to find that money as a family.”
Georgie says it is heart-warming to see the way Riverina communities rally behind a good cause, particularly when one of their own is impacted.
It’s particularly poignant for the Pitsons as Julie herself has recently been diagnosed with MSA (Multiple System Atrophy), a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
“We’ve been hit with the short straw when it comes to neurological conditions,” Georgie says.
“We know first-hand the importance of raising awareness, of advocacy and fundraising to support work into vital research and treatment programs for these types of diseases.”
Sunday’s event at Holbrook will kick off from 11 am with a jam-packed day of activities and fundraising (including a monster auction with up to $6000 in prizes) and guest appearances from a few more footy legends in Kevin Sheedy and Chris Daniher.
For more details about the event go to The Riverina Hotel Holbrook on Facebook or to donate and find more about the Big Freeze fundraiser go to the FightMND website.
