Arno Schulz

Hi,

My name is August and I am fundraising in memory of my father, Arno Schulz, who passed away on the 22nd of June, 2017 at the age of 69 due to complications from motor neurone disease.

He had suffered encephalitis five years previously which left him with acquired brain injury and he had a heart disease which meant he'd had a stent put in his heart and he needed to take medication regularly. Despite his circumstances, he loved life and would commute via bus or train and walked every day. He had many acquaintances who said that he was a sweet person with a good sense of humour.

Being his carer, I would do my best to see that he was well looked after, but it wasn't always easy because he still liked to make his own decisions and could be stubborn in some cases as everyone can be from time to time. So when on a Monday night I noticed his body shaking uncontrollably after he'd been unable to take his meds for a while due to coughing and choking when he ingested liquids, I called the ambulance and he was taken to hospital. I'd never called an ambulance before but the people were very kind and helpful and Daddy finally agreed to go with them. I was worried he had pneumonia since he'd had it once before and it's a very dangerous condition.

Soon after, however, we were told that the reason Daddy was having trouble drinking was due to the muscles in his throat being too weak and that when he swallowed anything, even his own saliva, it would go into his lungs as well as his stomach leading to the chest infection we had suspected. Just ten days later, he had passed away. Two days before he died, on World Refugee Day, he was walking around and talking about his family and loved ones. He had come to Australia as a refugee when he was almost nine years old.

Currently there is no cure for MND and in many if not all cases such as my father's the only treatment available is to make the sufferer as comfortable as possible until the time comes that they pass away. There is no way to reverse the effects of the disease or to halt its progress.

I would be so very grateful if you could support my efforts by making a secure online donation and by posting a message of support. I believe that together we can make a difference!

Donations made through this platform are secure and will be remitted directly through to my charity of choice.

Thank you so much for your support!

Sincerely,

August Quinn