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6 months ago
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Premiership-winning Geelong great Mathew Stokes has spoken about his father's battle with Motor Neurone Disease [MND] and the parties that were thrown for him before he passed away.
Stokes enjoyed a successful career with the Geelong Cats after joining in 2006 and played as a small forward, playing a crucial role in their premiership-winning campaigns in 2007 and 2009 before retiring in 2015.
His dad, John Stokes, was also a talented footy player and was sadly diagnosed with MND last year.
John passed away in September this year from the disease, but made it a priority to have some parties before he died.
'At the end he was wheelchair bound and couldn't move but he didn't want to shy away from it,' Mathew told the Herald Sun.
Stokes and his father John at a Geelong function. John was diagnosed with MND last year
Stokes, who won two premierships with the Geelong Cats during his playing career, is telling his dad's story to raise awareness for MND
'He wanted people to see and remember him for who he really was, the happy talkative story-telling man that he was. Dad never shied away from seeing people, especially by the end of it he just wanted to tell one more story.
'We had three going away parties, one of them was his birthday, and he didn't want to leave any of them. He felt like everytime he said goodbye to someone he was closer to the end.
'He cherished moments to the end with a lot of his teammates, people he grew up with and played a lot of footy with and against.
'I heard more stories in the last six months with his mates and him than I had my whole life.'
John was extremely fit and active into 70s, running three or four times a week and doing weights out the back of his house in Darwin.
Then all of a sudden he started having trouble with his balance.
'I still remember the phone call like it was yesterday to get the news that he'd been diagnosed with MND,' Mathew said.
'It was a smash in the face to hear that and immediately my thoughts went to Neale (Daniher) and that this is something which is incurable, that was pretty hard to take.'
Daniher is a former Essendon player and Melbourne coach who has become a prominent advocate for raising awareness and funding for MND.
Neale Daniher looks on during the 2022 match between Collingwood and Melbourne where the Big Freeze was held
After being diagnosed with MND himself in 2013, Daniher launched the FightMND campaign to support research and improve the lives of those affected by the disease.
Matthew said one of his dad's dying wishes was to help the Danihers with their campaign - and that's what he's doing.
'I remember sitting on the back of his porch and I was like, 'Dad what do you want from me in this?' he said.
'He just pulled me straight in front of his face because he obviously couldn't turn his neck and said: 'If the Danihers ask you to do anything, you say yes'.
'Dad knew he wasn't going to win the fight but eventually we are going to win the war and hopefully we can honour Dad's memory and the person and legacy of who he was by being a part of that.'
The Big Freeze is an annual event organised by FightMND, a non-profit organisation dedicated to finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for MND.
The event, held on June 10 this year, involves high-profile personalities, including sports stars, celebrities, and community leaders, sliding into an ice-cold pool to raise awareness and funds for MND research.
Participants don iconic blue beanies, symbolising support for those affected by the disease, while the event aims to highlight the challenges faced by individuals living with MND and raise vital funds for vital research initiatives.
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