Lauren Healey is turning her grief into action, wiping the tears away to hit the streets and help beat Motor Neurone Disease.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Earlier this year the former Calrossy student's father, respected Tamworth surgeon David, was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, for which there is no known cure, or cause.
Initially Dr Healey hid the diagnosis from his daughters for fear that Lauren would not go and pursue her university dreams at Melbourne's RMIT, eventually letting the family know the day after Easter.
Read more:
After finding out, Ms Healey's grief turned to anger, and then passion, which is when she decided to take action and work towards raising funds for research and awareness.
"My Dad is a big guy who doesn't show much emotion, so when he asked us to sit down and started crying I knew something was wrong," Ms Healey said.
"For the first week I was sad the whole time, but Dad really wanted us to get angry, and to fight back.
"When I got back to Melbourne, and I was alone I got really angry, and then I heard about the Run Melbourne event and joined the FightMND team."
Ms Healey has since raised over $28,000 for the cause, the most of any of the 80 strong FightMND team, who collectively have raised over $66,000, and are aiming for $100,000 by the July 28 event.
"I was really nervous to join the team, and used to not be able to talk about my Dad without crying," she said.
"I thought the team might be a bit depressing or morbid, but it is anything but - people aren't sad about these diseases - it has been a lot of fun, and I am really excited to meet everybody and get that extra support."
The Healey's emigrated from Canada to Australia in 2015, so once the message of the fundraiser got out it went global, and so to the support that came with it.
"People donate and can leave a message, and the messages are the best part," she said.
"It has really restored my faith in humanity."
"I have found that a lot of people my age don't know what MND is, so a lot of people have been asking me and sending me messages - and that is what it is about, getting the awareness and the message out there that we will beat this disease."
Dr Healey has also been keeping a positive attitude by continuing to work and plans on never giving up the fight.
"It's a bit ironic - but I have never seen him happier," Ms Healey said.
"He has so much hope - if anyone can fight this it is him."
To help Lauren FightMND donations can be made on Everyday Hero.
