We'd like to say a big thank you to Kylie and Jenna who hosted the MND Walk for Elisa Baker with family and friends, held on April 26. They raised over $6,300 for MND NSW, all in memory of Elisa, who sadly passed away from MND earlier this year. Jenna has shared their story about the event:
Saturday was more than we ever expected! A few people counted about 70 in our walking party. Absolutely incredible. We had family and friends travel from Culburra Beach, Parkes, Canberra and even as far as Renmark, SA!
We assembled together, wearing a sea of blue, and Elisa’s favourite colour pink. Back in 2021, we completed the Canberra Walk to Defeat. Elisa was still mobile at that stage, and she chose for us to all walk in blue tutus, to make it that little bit more humorous. This time, we honoured that tradition, but we made it pink.
We specifically chose 26th April as it is Elisa’s birth date. Having just lost her in January, we wanted to do something positive in her memory.
The day was perfect for our walk, not too sunny, not too overcast. Timing was amazing with plenty of passing traffic along Beach Road in Batemans Bay, resulting in lots of toots and cheers. Though perhaps that was more about the tutus... either way, Elisa would have loved that. We had several people stop us along the way asking what MND was, and we were able to speak about what we were raising money for.
We had several kids in our party, some on bikes, some walking, others scooting. Many of them finished both legs of the walk, even if wheeled along in a beach cart. We were so proud of them all, and they were determined to contribute something for their Aunty Leesy.
When Kylie started the fundraiser page to honour her sister’s memory, and to give back to the charity that had supported her sister through her illness, she set the bar at $2000. She wanted to be realistic, and knowing that times are tough for everyone, she thought this was a fair and reasonable target to achieve. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we realised that we had raised over triple that by the day of the walk. We are completely blown away by the support and generosity of everyone who gave what they could. It’s certainly lit a fire for all of us and we plan to do more into the future.
Thankyou to you all at MND NSW, for helping Elisa during her illness, and right to the end.
- Jenna M
