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In
The Beginning …..
The
Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association celebrates
its 21st birthday in 2002. Our late founder John Macleod
was born in Lewis and walked the beat in Glasgow until
he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in
1980.
SMDA
founder - the late John Macleod |
Having
met with members of the MND Association for England,
Wales and Northern Ireland while attending Charing
Cross Hospital in London he soon realised there
was little support for people with MND in Scotland.
The medical profession in Scotland had limited experience
of the illness and the general public were entirely
in the dark. With the help of close friends, John
and wife Peggy created an association with charitable
status, operating completely autonomously from the
MND Association, raising funds and providing support
for the MND community in Scotland. |
John
and Peggy had three sons. Donald, Iain and Gordon support
the MND community in Scotland and raise funds for the
association. Son, Donald followed in his father’s
footsteps and joined the police force. Together with
nine colleagues from the station in Edinburgh he will
walk 94 miles of The West Highland Way during June 2002
to raise funds for the association. Donald is typical
of many of the association’s supporters. Raising
funds for the association and encouraging others to
spread awareness among friends and the general public.
Thanks to supporters like Donald and his colleagues,
we have grown from a group of friends around a kitchen
table to a charity with over 800 members.
Cool
Professor
John
and Annie Morrison, ‘Cnoc Ard’ were very involved
with the Association in the early days and ‘Nandag’
writes: “John’s plan to set up a S.M.N.D.
Association met with a rather cool reception from the
Professor who was caring for him. He inferred that a
lot of money and dedication was required and he had
seen many good intentions come to nothing.
He remarked: “Show me £3,000 in six months
and I will be convinced.”
He was convinced! The sum was doubled within the time
stated. This was as a result of hard work by John’s
family, from his mother downwards and by the families
and friends of other sufferers to whom his efforts gave
hope.
In addition to the committee’s fundraising through
sales of work, raffles etc. and concerts organised by
the Bearsden Fiddlers the money flowed in. Most of the
concerts were compered by Jimmy Mack, who was a household
name on Scottish Radio. None of those involved accepted
a penny in payment.
Fund
Raising!
By
September 1981 £40,000 had been raised. Now the
Association funds are in excess of £500,000. A
Research Programme supported by it at Strathclyde University
is known as the John Macleod Fellowship. None of this
would have been possible without John’s vision
and the dedicated support of those early committee members.
In
1983, the Glasgow Lewis and Harris Society recognised
John’s courage and perseverance by awarding him
Cuach Comunn Leodhais agus Na Hearadh, its annual award
to the islander bringing most honour to himself and
to his island during the past year.
Towards
the end of his life, I often sat with John when Peggy
was out. John could not speak and the television did
not interest him. I asked him to indicate whether he
would like me to read from the Bible.
He
assented happily. One of our favourite readings was
from the second version of Psalm 143:
Lo,
I do stretch my hands to thee my help alone,
For thou well understands all my complaint and moan:
My thirsting soul desires and longeth after thee,
As thirsty ground requires with rain refreshed to
be
The
Western Isles Branch of SMND was very active in the
early days of the association with most of the fundraising
in Lewis done in Tolsta. In fact almost every man, woman
and child in Tolsta contributed in some way to the SMNDA.
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