Marthie was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) on November 2016, and is in need of funds to help pay for her medical fees.

The golf club was fully booked and raffle tickets were sold out. She is based in Gauteng and was in the Lowveld because her cousin was hosting a fund-raising event for her, to help with medical expenses.

No one is ever prepared to hear that they have a life-threatening disease and have about five years to live.

This is what Marthie was told after she was diagnosed with this rare disease.

She started noticing that her left leg was weaker and responded slower than her right one in August 2015. While she was on family vacation in December 2015 she realised that the movements on her left leg were not the same during a walk.

Some signs also showed while she was playing action netball and in March her husband had noticed that she was limping.

This rare disease has changed her life, although she does not allow her circumstances to keep her locked up in her room.

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As brave as she was during an interview with Lowvelder, it was not easy for her to share all the changes in her life. At some points she cried. She cannot walk, she can’t use her hands like she used to, she can’t drive and her voice has changed.

“I thought that it might have been the way I sit, since I liked sitting on my left leg, so I decided to stop doing that. However, I did not see any changes. Then my husband made an appointment with a doctor for me.

“The doctor prescribed the usual, such as muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatories, though there was still no improvement. He then made an appointment with a chiropractor. I went through a few treatments without any improvement. He then suggested that we approach a neurosurgeon.

“The neurosurgeon suspected that the cause could be a pinched nerve between the vertebrae. After numerous tests and scans, the results came out saying that there was nothing wrong. The neurosurgeon suggested that I visit a neurologist for further testing,” she explained.
The neurologist informed her that he suspected it could be motor neuron disease.
“Due to the fact that it was not an easy diagnosis to tell me, he said I should go for a second opinion. I was admitted to hospital, and that was when the diagnosis was made,” she said.

She still goes to work and says her employers have been very accommodating.

“They allow me to work from home when I need to although I always meet my deadlines. I do things differently, however, I make sure I do my work. When I operate the computer, I can’t use my hands anymore,”
She has been married for 20 years to her husband, Johan (57), and also has children. He started researching medications to help his wife and came across various things.

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“It was not easy for any of us, although we had to take it and find ways to continue living as a family.

“It is not easy for her, yet she keeps going. Her days are not the same, sometimes she is the same woman she was before the diagnosis and then sometimes her voice changes,” said Johan.

“We tried our luck with Brainstorm, but were rejected because I do not have an American citizenship. After that we heard about a scientist involved with the cells, stem cells, DNA, cloning, differentiation, marking of cells and so on. We made contact and it was as if they were waiting for me.

“The scientist is currently using my DNA from skin cells to cultivate the biological factors of cells at the time of birth through a very sophisticated process,” said Marthie.

If it all goes well she will be the first to undergo this. The cost will be very high, so she needs all the help she can get.