My name is Phoebe Chesterton. On Saturday the 8th of July 2023, Abbey Jones owner of Jagged Edge Hairdressing Salon in Goulburn, will be shaving my head for my Motor Neurone Disease fundraising. This event is held at the Goulburn Railway Bowling Club to kick off at midday for all who wish to participate. The shave will be done in private, as I know that this will be an emotional experience and I would like a chance to show my two young kids first before returning for the big public reveal. I will be very thankful for my Big Freeze 9 beanie to keep my head warm!
On this day, there will be casual lawn bowls (weather permitting), raffles, lucky door prize and a free barbecue. This is an inclusive event, so the invitation is open to anyone within the community or surrounding areas who are willing to brave the cold to join me on what will be a special day.
Proceeds will go towards Neale Daniher’s Fight MND Charity, renowned for The Big Freeze annual event held at the MCG. My hair will be donated to the World’s Greatest Shave. This is another cause very close to my heart affecting too many of my family and friends.
I am doing this in memory of my father, Tony Grovenor, who passed away from Motor Neurone Disease 10 years ago. He was only 66 years old and prior to his diagnosis, he’d been a very fit and healthy person.
Since moving here from Yass 30 years ago, my father was an active member of the local Goulburn community through coaching sporting teams, blood donations and supporting his church. He was one of the members who fundraised for Diabetes and MS during two Guinness World Record attempts for the longest marathon outdoor lawn bowls. This record was secured in January 2009 at the Goulburn Railway Bowling Club. Needless to say, he leaves behind a strong legacy for his 8 grandchildren.
To this day, many people have never heard of Motor Neurone Disease, and so I’ve set my goal at raising both awareness of MND and much-needed funds towards finding treatments in the hope for a cure one day.
MND is such an incredibly cruel disease. It damages the part of the nervous system responsible for sending messages from the brain to the body, impeding functioning. Overtime, it gradually robs a person of the use of their bodies - they lose their mobility, the ability to eat independently, to swallow, to speak and communicate, and then ultimately the ability to breathe. However, their sensory nerves are unaffected, so they’re mentally aware the whole time. The average timeframe for a patient is just 27 months from being diagnosed..
Unfortunately, my father had the most aggressive of the 5 types of MND - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS.) The only relief and comfort at that time for dad was hearing from the specialists that there did not appear to be a hereditary causal factor in this case, so his children and grandchildren would not be afflicted with this prognosis. I want to recognise that not everybody is so fortunate. He battled the beast for 15 months, during which time the disease progressively took more from him. This did not deter him from completing his bucket list, including skydiving and taking two international trips with the love of his life, (albeit wheelchair-bound). Sadly, he passed away in Goulburn Base Hospital on the morning of Monday the 8th of July 2013.
If you have been affected by Motor Neurone Disease or cancer, I would love to meet you and have a chat. Furthermore, I want to take this opportunity to recognise all of the brave individuals who have been diagnosed with these diseases.
Please share this link with your network and if you have the means to make a donation of your choosing, you can do this below through a secure platform. All efforts helps make a positive difference to fight the beast that is MND.
? A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to my fundraising to date. I’m truly humbled by the kind words, support and generosity ?
NSW Health Bourke St Building - see ‘Holy Moly’ post on Facebook to see all the wonderful things that went into this fundraising.