Wigan mum raising awareness of Motor Neurone Disease in memory of two sons

A mum from Wigan who's lost five family members to Motor Neurone Disease says raising the profile of the condition is vital, ahead of Global MND Awareness Day.

Cris Hoskin is chair of the South Lancashire branch of the MND Association after losing her father, both of her sons, her uncle and cousin to the disease over the last 26 years. Her sons were just 27 and 45 when they passed away.

MND is an incurable, rare condition which affects the brain and the nerves, causing muscle weakness which gets worse over time. The condition is known to significantly reduce life expectancy, eventually leading to death.

Cris has been involved with the charity since 1998 and is determined to raise awareness of the condition and find a cure: "Because of the way both of my boys faced the disease and battled against it with humour and courage, I feel it would be their wish for us not to give in, but to carry on in their name. So everything we do is for them.

"When my dad died in 1998 and they told us he had Motor Neurone Disease, nobody really knew what it was. Fast forward to when my first son died in 2005, we knew a little bit more about it, but now I think there's been so much publicity and awareness raising, that people are beginning to say they've heard of it, which is massive."

Some of the most well-known people to die from the disease include Steven Hawking, Ronnie Corbett and, most recently; rugby star Rob Burrow on 2nd June 2024.

The MND Association says on the day of Rob's death, 45,000 people visited their website searching for information about the condition. It was a massive 2150% increase compared with their average daily page views.

Tonight, the South Lancashire branch of the MND Association has organised a fundraiser at Birchwood Park in Warrington. Buildings on the business park will be illuminated in blue and orange to raise awareness of the condition, alongside a film night. Cris says it's a fun evening with a serious message: "The difficult thing about having an awareness day in June is that we have to wait around a long time for the lights to come on, but it is emotional and it just looks so impressive. It brings it home that we're not on our own and we all need to work together to find a cure. "

Find out more about the event tonight here.

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