DREAMING OF A NEW HOME? SO AM I!
My name is Madeline, but everyone calls me Maddy. I was only 11 years old when they told me I have MS. I've just turned 22.
I never dreamed my life would be like this. When I was 11, I was like most kids – people asked me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and I would think of the endless possibilities - a teacher, a doctor, hey, maybe even an astronaut!
Those things aren't possible for me anymore. I'm now in a wheelchair and I'm legally blind. In my sadder moments, I think how unfair this is. People my age have so much more than I have. Sometimes it's the big stuff that upsets me - like knowing I'll never have the career that I wanted; sometimes it's the small stuff, like when I can't even wear a pair of really pretty high heels.
I don't know what I would have done without the MS Society. I know so many of their staff, from counsellors to physios - and they've supported me when I needed it. They've helped me let go of some of the dreams I've had, and make some new ones.
Your ticket in the Lottery lets you dream of a brand new home and in a different sort of way, it does the same for me. Funds raised by the MS Mega Home Lottery will help the MS Society to build a new extension at its 24-hour high-support accommodation facility at Hamilton Hill, and when it's completed, I can move in!
Also, last year the MS Society of Western Australia put a whopping $500,000 towards research, which gives me hope that a cure will be found. I think about that every day.
I really hope you win one of the lottery prizes, but if you don't, please remember that you've helped me and many other people like me to realise our dreams.
