a day ago
How Graham is tackling life, one year after he was diagnosed with an incurable disease
A year ago, Graham Lancaster received news that could have completely upended his life.
The well-known regional lawyer was told he had the incurable degenerative condition motor neurone disease (MND).
It's something he is conscious of every day, and he is proactive in taking steps to try and slow the disease's progression.
But generally, life has rolled on: he continues to work, indulge in his interests, and maintain his sense of humour, although he admits it can slant a little dark sometimes.
"The concept of the one-year anniversary coming up is significant because, in that time, I haven't had a lot of symptoms and my progression has been very slow, and the doctors have confirmed that," Mr Lancaster said.
There are reminders of the illness: the morning he spoke to the Mercury, his tricep started twitching, a symptom of MND.
"I went, 'Alright, you're reminding me you're still there', " he said.
Mr Lancaster received a provisional diagnosis of MND, an incurable degenerative illness, on June 24, 2024, after he pushed for tests when he realised he had muscle wasting in his right hand.
That blow came just days after Global MND Awareness Day, which is marked annually on June 21.
Ten days after the provisional diagnosis, doctors confirmed Mr Lancaster had sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of the disease for which the cause is not known.
Mr Lancaster is receiving treatment from his doctors, including a trial of a drug called Ambroxol, and has appointments every three months to track the progression of his illness.
But he is also on a regimen of vitamin supplements and other therapies, which he has found through online communities and his own searches, which he hopes will inhibit the disease's progression.
Mr Lancaster said the number of people who died of MND within a year or two of diagnosis suggested to him that "late diagnosis is a very real problem".
MND Australia says the average survival time after diagnosis is two and a half years.
"I was lucky to get diagnosed early, so I got on to doing things early, and you know, I do believe that has helped to slow the progression," Mr Lancaster said.
"If you get diagnosed late, you're already on a pathway of cascading issues and problems, and it's hard to turn all of that back and climb your way back up from that."
Mr Lancaster plans to beat the expected survival period of two to five years.
Not only has he taken steps to slow the MND, but he has put more energy into improving his general health.
Unfortunately, he had to give up cheer - at one point, he was Australia's oldest male cheerleader - because he doesn't want to let his team down should he become unable to attend competitions.
But as a dedicated supporter of the Illawarra Hawks, Mr Lancaster has remained a prominent sight at the basketball team's home games since his diagnosis, always sporting his distinctive double-horned red-and-black Vikings hat.
"I will be going to the Hawks games for as long as I can," he said.
"The seat we have at the stadium, if I've got to crawl down to that seat, I will crawl down to that seat and crawl back up the steps."
"As far as purpose, I think that having a job that I love means that I get in, I get things done, and that keeps me going as well," Mr Lancaster said.
He also has another very special motivating factor: he and his wife, Cath, will become grandparents for the first time later this year when their daughter Sarah (they also have a son, Patrick) welcomes her first child with husband Jordan.
Mr Lancaster said Cath had supported his efforts to slow his disease - but added that she didn't let him get out of jobs around the house just because he had MND.
His goal is not just to live as long as he can, but to live well and help others.
To that end, he shares information he's learnt with others experiencing MND and offers support.
"I've come to embrace the ALS," he said. "I don't want to spend a lot of energy fighting it, per se. I think I'm working with it, and it's just something that's part of the day now."
A year ago, Graham Lancaster received news that could have completely upended his life.
The well-known regional lawyer was told he had the incurable degenerative condition motor neurone disease (MND).
It's something he is conscious of every day, and he is proactive in taking steps to try and slow the disease's progression.
But generally, life has rolled on: he continues to work, indulge in his interests, and maintain his sense of humour, although he admits it can slant a little dark sometimes.
"The concept of the one-year anniversary coming up is significant because, in that time, I haven't had a lot of symptoms and my progression has been very slow, and the doctors have confirmed that," Mr Lancaster said.
There are reminders of the illness: the morning he spoke to the Mercury, his tricep started twitching, a symptom of MND.
"I went, 'Alright, you're reminding me you're still there', " he said.
Mr Lancaster received a provisional diagnosis of MND, an incurable degenerative illness, on June 24, 2024, after he pushed for tests when he realised he had muscle wasting in his right hand.
That blow came just days after Global MND Awareness Day, which is marked annually on June 21.
Ten days after the provisional diagnosis, doctors confirmed Mr Lancaster had sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of the disease for which the cause is not known.
Mr Lancaster is receiving treatment from his doctors, including a trial of a drug called Ambroxol, and has appointments every three months to track the progression of his illness.
But he is also on a regimen of vitamin supplements and other therapies, which he has found through online communities and his own searches, which he hopes will inhibit the disease's progression.
Mr Lancaster said the number of people who died of MND within a year or two of diagnosis suggested to him that "late diagnosis is a very real problem".
MND Australia says the average survival time after diagnosis is two and a half years.
"I was lucky to get diagnosed early, so I got on to doing things early, and you know, I do believe that has helped to slow the progression," Mr Lancaster said.
"If you get diagnosed late, you're already on a pathway of cascading issues and problems, and it's hard to turn all of that back and climb your way back up from that."
Mr Lancaster plans to beat the expected survival period of two to five years.
Not only has he taken steps to slow the MND, but he has put more energy into improving his general health.
Unfortunately, he had to give up cheer - at one point, he was Australia's oldest male cheerleader - because he doesn't want to let his team down should he become unable to attend competitions.
But as a dedicated supporter of the Illawarra Hawks, Mr Lancaster has remained a prominent sight at the basketball team's home games since his diagnosis, always sporting his distinctive double-horned red-and-black Vikings hat.
"I will be going to the Hawks games for as long as I can," he said.
"The seat we have at the stadium, if I've got to crawl down to that seat, I will crawl down to that seat and crawl back up the steps."
"As far as purpose, I think that having a job that I love means that I get in, I get things done, and that keeps me going as well," Mr Lancaster said.
He also has another very special motivating factor: he and his wife, Cath, will become grandparents for the first time later this year when their daughter Sarah (they also have a son, Patrick) welcomes her first child with husband Jordan.
Mr Lancaster said Cath had supported his efforts to slow his disease - but added that she didn't let him get out of jobs around the house just because he had MND.
His goal is not just to live as long as he can, but to live well and help others.
To that end, he shares information he's learnt with others experiencing MND and offers support.
"I've come to embrace the ALS," he said. "I don't want to spend a lot of energy fighting it, per se. I think I'm working with it, and it's just something that's part of the day now."
A year ago, Graham Lancaster received news that could have completely upended his life.
The well-known regional lawyer was told he had the incurable degenerative condition motor neurone disease (MND).
It's something he is conscious of every day, and he is proactive in taking steps to try and slow the disease's progression.
But generally, life has rolled on: he continues to work, indulge in his interests, and maintain his sense of humour, although he admits it can slant a little dark sometimes.
"The concept of the one-year anniversary coming up is significant because, in that time, I haven't had a lot of symptoms and my progression has been very slow, and the doctors have confirmed that," Mr Lancaster said.
There are reminders of the illness: the morning he spoke to the Mercury, his tricep started twitching, a symptom of MND.
"I went, 'Alright, you're reminding me you're still there', " he said.
Mr Lancaster received a provisional diagnosis of MND, an incurable degenerative illness, on June 24, 2024, after he pushed for tests when he realised he had muscle wasting in his right hand.
That blow came just days after Global MND Awareness Day, which is marked annually on June 21.
Ten days after the provisional diagnosis, doctors confirmed Mr Lancaster had sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of the disease for which the cause is not known.
Mr Lancaster is receiving treatment from his doctors, including a trial of a drug called Ambroxol, and has appointments every three months to track the progression of his illness.
But he is also on a regimen of vitamin supplements and other therapies, which he has found through online communities and his own searches, which he hopes will inhibit the disease's progression.
Mr Lancaster said the number of people who died of MND within a year or two of diagnosis suggested to him that "late diagnosis is a very real problem".
MND Australia says the average survival time after diagnosis is two and a half years.
"I was lucky to get diagnosed early, so I got on to doing things early, and you know, I do believe that has helped to slow the progression," Mr Lancaster said.
"If you get diagnosed late, you're already on a pathway of cascading issues and problems, and it's hard to turn all of that back and climb your way back up from that."
Mr Lancaster plans to beat the expected survival period of two to five years.
Not only has he taken steps to slow the MND, but he has put more energy into improving his general health.
Unfortunately, he had to give up cheer - at one point, he was Australia's oldest male cheerleader - because he doesn't want to let his team down should he become unable to attend competitions.
But as a dedicated supporter of the Illawarra Hawks, Mr Lancaster has remained a prominent sight at the basketball team's home games since his diagnosis, always sporting his distinctive double-horned red-and-black Vikings hat.
"I will be going to the Hawks games for as long as I can," he said.
"The seat we have at the stadium, if I've got to crawl down to that seat, I will crawl down to that seat and crawl back up the steps."
"As far as purpose, I think that having a job that I love means that I get in, I get things done, and that keeps me going as well," Mr Lancaster said.
He also has another very special motivating factor: he and his wife, Cath, will become grandparents for the first time later this year when their daughter Sarah (they also have a son, Patrick) welcomes her first child with husband Jordan.
Mr Lancaster said Cath had supported his efforts to slow his disease - but added that she didn't let him get out of jobs around the house just because he had MND.
His goal is not just to live as long as he can, but to live well and help others.
To that end, he shares information he's learnt with others experiencing MND and offers support.
"I've come to embrace the ALS," he said. "I don't want to spend a lot of energy fighting it, per se. I think I'm working with it, and it's just something that's part of the day now."
A year ago, Graham Lancaster received news that could have completely upended his life.
The well-known regional lawyer was told he had the incurable degenerative condition motor neurone disease (MND).
It's something he is conscious of every day, and he is proactive in taking steps to try and slow the disease's progression.
But generally, life has rolled on: he continues to work, indulge in his interests, and maintain his sense of humour, although he admits it can slant a little dark sometimes.
"The concept of the one-year anniversary coming up is significant because, in that time, I haven't had a lot of symptoms and my progression has been very slow, and the doctors have confirmed that," Mr Lancaster said.
There are reminders of the illness: the morning he spoke to the Mercury, his tricep started twitching, a symptom of MND.
"I went, 'Alright, you're reminding me you're still there', " he said.
Mr Lancaster received a provisional diagnosis of MND, an incurable degenerative illness, on June 24, 2024, after he pushed for tests when he realised he had muscle wasting in his right hand.
That blow came just days after Global MND Awareness Day, which is marked annually on June 21.
Ten days after the provisional diagnosis, doctors confirmed Mr Lancaster had sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of the disease for which the cause is not known.
Mr Lancaster is receiving treatment from his doctors, including a trial of a drug called Ambroxol, and has appointments every three months to track the progression of his illness.
But he is also on a regimen of vitamin supplements and other therapies, which he has found through online communities and his own searches, which he hopes will inhibit the disease's progression.
Mr Lancaster said the number of people who died of MND within a year or two of diagnosis suggested to him that "late diagnosis is a very real problem".
MND Australia says the average survival time after diagnosis is two and a half years.
"I was lucky to get diagnosed early, so I got on to doing things early, and you know, I do believe that has helped to slow the progression," Mr Lancaster said.
"If you get diagnosed late, you're already on a pathway of cascading issues and problems, and it's hard to turn all of that back and climb your way back up from that."
Mr Lancaster plans to beat the expected survival period of two to five years.
Not only has he taken steps to slow the MND, but he has put more energy into improving his general health.
Unfortunately, he had to give up cheer - at one point, he was Australia's oldest male cheerleader - because he doesn't want to let his team down should he become unable to attend competitions.
But as a dedicated supporter of the Illawarra Hawks, Mr Lancaster has remained a prominent sight at the basketball team's home games since his diagnosis, always sporting his distinctive double-horned red-and-black Vikings hat.
"I will be going to the Hawks games for as long as I can," he said.
"The seat we have at the stadium, if I've got to crawl down to that seat, I will crawl down to that seat and crawl back up the steps."
"As far as purpose, I think that having a job that I love means that I get in, I get things done, and that keeps me going as well," Mr Lancaster said.
He also has another very special motivating factor: he and his wife, Cath, will become grandparents for the first time later this year when their daughter Sarah (they also have a son, Patrick) welcomes her first child with husband Jordan.
Mr Lancaster said Cath had supported his efforts to slow his disease - but added that she didn't let him get out of jobs around the house just because he had MND.
His goal is not just to live as long as he can, but to live well and help others.
To that end, he shares information he's learnt with others experiencing MND and offers support.
"I've come to embrace the ALS," he said. "I don't want to spend a lot of energy fighting it, per se. I think I'm working with it, and it's just something that's part of the day now."
