This week’s Good Sort is a man living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who is all about defying expectations and helping others to do the same.
MS is a condition that happens when the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord. It is currently estimated to affect 4000 Kiwis.
Grahame Walker was told upon diagnosis roughly 12 years ago that he would die with it, not of it.
“You can’t get rid of it, there’s no cure, but it doesn’t kill you,” he said.
Walker is an avid biker and cycles 20km most days.
He said when he was initially diagnosed, he wanted to “bury his head in the sand”, but then decided to confront the disease head on.
“It’s not the end of the world, it’s all manageable.”
His daughter, who is a doctor, encouraged him to trial a new drug that slows MS.
Walker then lobbied then Pharmac chairperson Steve Maharey to make the drug accessible to everyone.
“I said, ‘I’m gonna come after you for this drug’, and he said, ‘Grahame, if I was you, I’d come after me too’.”
Now that the drug is funded, Walker continued to raise funds for MS New Zealand.
His Bangers on Bikes car rally starts with him on two wheels.
“I take the bike and I ride as far as I can before the cars catch me up.
“It raised $120,000, which is just amazing.
“People that get it, if they understand that it isn’t the end of the road for them, then there are things that they can do and look after themselves.”
To see more about Grahame’s story and why he’s a Good Sort, click the video at the top of this article.
