Our Stem Of Hope

Earth shattering. Life changing. World altering. Such profound phrases, but they all seem monumentally inadequate when attempting to articulate the impact that Andrew's illness has had. Not only on us as individuals and life partners, but on our two gorgeous and innocent children, our extended families, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, communities of origin and people we have never even met. Motor Neurone Disease - M.N.D. Three little words... three little words that altered the course of our lives forever. From the very beginning, Andrew's illness blanketed our lives in its entirety. Gone were our blue clear skies and warm sunshine and in its place, endless dark, pitted with angry and rumbling clouds in varying shades of grey. It was all consuming, with no escape or reprieve. It was suffocating. Despite this, Andrew was resolute and his courage and determination were unparalleled. He fought with everything that he had and his unwillingness to readily accept the fate depicted by M.N.D. found him pushing the boundaries and taking risks. We were told to 'go home and make the most of things', but Andrew would have none of it. We had hope. Andrew would say, "Where there is life, there is hope". We sought unconventional embryonic stem-cell treatment, which necessitated Andrew travel overseas to India on two occasions, under less than favourable circumstances. Said treatment procured a degree of success and our hopes were buoyed. Andrew's desire to see his 'babies' grow up was the driving force behind his every thought and decision and notwithstanding the adversity he endured, he very much remained the master of his own destiny. Andrew's resolve can serve as a lesson to others.