<div><br />
</div>
<div>Hi Everyone
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As many of you know, in June the Hobden family were hit with the devastating news that Hobbo/Ron/Brad was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease – Progressive Bulbar Palsy (MND – PBP).
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>PBP is a brutal disease with no current cure. It first attacks the lower motor neurons connected to the brain stem (the bulbar region), which controls the muscles needed for swallowing, speaking, chewing, and other functions. PBP is also devastatingly the most aggressive form of motor neurone disease and has a life expectancy of just 6 months to 3 years.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Unfortunately, Hobbo has already begun to experience some of these impacts with his speech wavering, and he is finding it more difficult to project his voice. He now needs to wear a voice amplifier when in noisy environments and crowds. He has also started losing his balance and strength in his left arm as the muscle atrophy starts. The disease will also move to the upper motor neurons which will impact Hobbo’s ability to use his arms and legs. The ultimate impact of the disease will mean that Hobbo experiences complete paralysis without being able to move unassisted, and will need to be fed through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube requiring complex, intensive full-time care.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>One of the most devastating parts of the disease, and what scares Hobbo the most, is that he will not lose his other senses. This means he will be cognitively clear and will be completely aware of his deterioration and inability to play with Lizzie and Henry, and to hug Anna-Louise/Annie.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As difficult as it is to share all of this with everyone, and for you to read it, this is the brutal reality of this disease. It is obviously an incredibly frightening prospect for Hobbo, and everyone who loves him, to understand what this disease will inevitably do.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As you can understand, this has meant a huge amount of rapid decision-making to work out the next steps for the Hobden family: juggling the realities of Hobbo’s medical needs as well as wanting to make the most of the time they have left together.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>At the moment, they have two clear priorities for the money raised by this GoFund Me campaign:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>1. Creating memories for Lizzie and Henry as a family together, including travel, while they can and while Hobbo is able to.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>2. Getting access to the best healthcare. This includes an experimental drug from Japan called Edaravone, recommended by their specialist at the Brain Mind Centre in Sydney.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This drug has shown great results in slowing down the progression of MND in patients who have been diagnosed early, which fortunately is the case for Hobbo. It is not yet available in Australia and to get access to the drug the family need to travel to Japan for 3 weeks to check Hobbo’s suitability and start the treatment. He will also need to be monitored for several weeks for any side effects. The drug costs about $5,000 per month and they will look to bring a 6 month supply home to Australia.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The costs for Hobbo’s treatment and ongoing care are simply beyond the family’s financial means. Beyond this trip to Japan, this diagnosis will also require them to relocate to Sydney from their Gunnedah home. This also comes at a significant cost to allow Hobbo to access the specialists and allied health professionals he needs for his condition.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Some items will be covered by insurance, but many will not. Some of the upcoming costs are listed below (however this is just the start of the ongoing journey towards full time end of life care):
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<ul>
<li>Medication (12 months): $60,000
</li>
<li>Accommodation costs: $10,000
</li>
<li>Medical equipment (ventilator, wheelchair and eye gaze communication tool): $50,000
</li>
<li>Other medical costs (speech pathologist, Occupational therapist, Physiotherapist, Psychologist, Neurologist): $10,000
</li>
<li>Relocation costs: $25,000. The list will just get longer and longer.
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Many of their friends and family have asked how they can help the Hobdens, and this is really the help that they need to take as much pressure off what is a completely devastating situation.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>While the initial diagnosis has been incredibly hard on all of the family, for Lizzie (aged 3) and Henry (aged 1), it is a very hard and confusing time. They don’t fully understand why Daddy can’t throw them in the air and play with them like he used to, or why he is losing his voice and can’t read to them anymore. They are also not able to understand all the upheaval and changes in their life.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For Anna-Louise/Annie, she is losing the love of her life and her devoted life partner. She adores Hobbo. They have essentially grown up together, sharing 16.5 years of love, happiness, and adventures. The thought of one of them without the other seems unimaginable to all of us.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Anna-Louise and Hobbo are living a life of heartbreak, mourning a life lost and their hopes and dreams for the future. They used to speak about their hopes for travel, career growth, retirement, being grandparents, and the day-to-day joys of watching their children grow into the people they will become.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>They are having to rewrite their futures now. They are dealing with the realisation of not only what Hobbo will miss, but what Lizzie and Henry will miss out on by not having their MVP/Dad around (and as we all know, he is the most incredible, patient, loving, fun father). And for Anna-Louise, the knowledge of having to navigate life and raise their children without Hobbo is both devastating and terrifying.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Through all of this, they are staying as positive as they can. They have a fantastic support network with all their friends and family rallying around them as soon as they could. Naturally, they are taking it day by day and trying to make the most of whatever time they have left together as a family.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As so many of us have experienced, Hobbo and Anna-Louise have been there to help others without anyone asking.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>It would mean the world to us, and them, if we can support the Hobdens in creating beautiful memories and accessing the best healthcare to keep the wonderful Hobbo well and with us for as long as possible.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Please donate if you can, and share with your networks too.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For more information about MND PBP you can head to:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://www.mndaustralia.org.au/mnd-connect/what-is-mnd/types-of-mnd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.mndaustralia.org.au/mnd-connect/what-is-mnd/types-of-mnd" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.mndaustralia.org.au/mnd-connect/what-is-mnd/types-of-mnd</a></a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you so much for your support.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>No amount is too small to show our love and support for Hobbo, Anna-Louise, Lizzie and Henry ❤️
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CuT1_BCr8jasvZU975c572dWGVmpJ25CAPLc1E0?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%2525253D%2525253D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CuT1_BCr8jasvZU975c572dWGVmpJ25CAPLc1E0/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/tv/CuT1_BCr8jasvZU975c572dWGVmpJ25CAPLc1E0/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==</a></a>
</div>

Michael Thompson

Andrew Lennon

Sebastian Murphy

Anonymous

Toni-Maree Dwyer

Kym and Tom

Jay Schofield

Zac Phillpott

Robert Campese

Sarah O'Grady

Paul Reinking

Michaela Manning

MC Glasser

Hobden Family: MND Medical & Memories Fund

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Hobden Family: MND Medical & Memories Fund

Still $96,423 to go. Help us build momentum.