If I Could Change the World I Would Cure MND

Receiving a motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis can be a challenging and emotional experience for families.  

At just 13 years old, Mia Peters captured her experience with MND through a deeply moving piece of writing. Her mother shared, “With my daughter's permission, I wanted to share a story Mia wrote last year for the Young Authors Challenge 2023. The topic was ‘If I could change the world…’ She wrote this just three months after her Grandad passed away from MND.”

Mia’s mother recounts that “It was a real struggle for her to write a piece that had so much emotion attached and was so raw, but we were very proud of what she achieved in writing this piece.”

Mia’s Grandad, Garth Riechelmann, chose ‘end of life’ care at age 70, just eight months after his diagnosis. The entire family, including his grandchildren, were by his side until the end of his journey.

Mia’s poignant memories of her Papa remind us of the profound impact this disease has on families. Her story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of raising awareness and supporting those affected by MND.

Read Mia’s story below:

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If I Could Change the World I Would Cure MND

I want to cure the world and place a bandaid over its scars, the scars it got from losing

innocent people. I want to prevent others from getting this unfair disease. I want to see Papa again and I want to cure MND, not only because I want to, but because I need to.

MND stands for Motor Neuron Disease, a disease that breaks down the muscles inside your body. It’s relentless and the only way to win is to raise a white flag.

Wherever you are now, whether you’re standing up or sitting down, think about how you got here. Maybe you walked, but with MND, eventually you wouldn't be able to. If you drove or spun the wheels of your wheelchair, just know that with MND, your muscles wouldn't allow you.

My Papa had MND. He fought this disease for eight months of his life. After that, he decided to leave, to go somewhere more peaceful. I don't know where Papa is now, but I’m positive that it's better than having MND, with no cure.

I’m always reminded of times with Papa; songs on the radio, cars roaring their engines, aeroplanes soaring above. They all remind me of the night before Papa passed away, when he somehow forced a laugh out of our mouths while waterfalls flooded our cheeks.

It's hard to remember him. I can feel emotions bubbling inside my brain, ready to burst out of my eyes in the form of tears. The tears I cry aren’t just salty water, they tell a story. They tell a story that burns so much, I want to shove them back and build a cage around them so I’m never reminded of the sadness. However, deep down, I know that these tears are important.

They remind me that you can't let a savage disease roam the earth, picking on innocent people.

I wanted to write this story to shake people awake, lead their eyes past the pollution and global warming news articles. I want to reveal a world where people sit in a chair all day, wondering what to do with themselves. One where families are struggling to care for their loved one. A world where my Papa couldn't give his grandchildren a hug. A world where MND exists and is taking lives from undeserving people.

It’s not fair that some only get seventy, fifty or thirty years to fill their lungs with air more valuable than diamonds; talk, enthusiastically moving their mouths with every word; dream, expanding their minds past reality; laugh, smile and live.

“If I could change the world, I would cure MND”. That is what I said at the beginning. “I will change the world and cure MND”. This is what I say now. The world needs everyone to shout because my voice alone will never be heard. By donating to funds that are finding a cure for MND, no individual will ever have to live their last days with MND alongside them.

Not ever.

By Mia Peters, Year 8, Whangaparaoa College, Age 13

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For information on supporting children and young people who have a family member with MND, please visit this link.

We also invite you to help raise awareness about MND and its impact on New Zealanders by sharing your story when the time feels right. Find more information here.