Hello everybody,

We are Michael’s mates. We love Michael.

Michael has Motor Neurone Disease. He’s just 35 years old.

He uses a wheelchair, a hoist to get in and out of bed, and has a ventilator to help him breathe. He also needs carers for the things the rest of us take for granted, as well as his incredibly caring wife doing everything in between.

Michael continues to write, produce and perform plays that are so good we struggle to find words to do them justice. Luckily, professional critics have, so please take a look here:

https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/the-tragedy-of-richard-iii-review-lyric-theatre-belfast-michael-patrick-william-shakespeare

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/oct/10/my-right-foot-review-axis-ballymun-dublin-michael-patrick-motor-neurone-disease

https://michaelandoisin.com/sygtd

Michael can still hold a room, tell stories, sing songs, keep the craic going, and be the friend we all love despite everything he is enduring. You cannot imagine a more caring individual.

Recently something incredible has happened. Thanks to a clinical drug trial, Michael can move his foot for the first time in nearly two years. We don’t know how far this will go but it’s the first real sign of hope in a long time.

To give him the best chance of benefiting from this breakthrough, Michael's doctors recommend a tracheostomy. This is a small tube in the front of his neck that will help him breathe with his weakened muscles and allow him to continue to survive. This is the easy bit, if you can believe it.

The hard part is that a tracheostomy comes with new and very specialist care needs. His doctors advise that, especially in the early stages, he will need continuous, skilled support to keep his airway safe and to help him adapt to this major change.

The cost associated with specialist support at home is overwhelming.

£100,000 would help support Michael's new complex care needs and allow him to get on with important things like being a wonderful friend to us, knocking out a critically acclaimed tv show or play and then getting safely back into bed beside his wife, Naomi ❤️

We’re asking for whatever you can give.

Every donation buys Michael time, safety and dignity. And it gives all of us more days of hanging out with our mate. Who we love.

Thank you so much,

Michael’s mates