The race against time for Tascha Loadsman
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COVID has put a spanner in the works for many social events.
But for Tascha Loadsman, the ravages of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) mean she doesn’t have time to wait for a fundraising dinner to take place to help raise money for her care.
Instead, the 47-year-old mother-of-five needs help now.
In January of 2019 Tascha was playing netball, trail running, scuba diving, going to the gym, running her Queanbeyan shoe shop, Main Street Shoes, leading an active social life and looking after her family, which includes husband Matt and five sons Jarrod 25, Chase 24, Keegan 19, Brynn 18 and Tadhg 17.
Tascha and her husband Matt, before Motor Neuron Disease confined her to a wheelchair.
But a weakness in her left leg was the first sign that something was not right.
By January 2020, Tascha had been given a devastating diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease. Today Tascha cannot move, save for some limited use of her right arm, she is confined to a wheelchair and needs support for every single one of her personal needs.
There is no cure for MND and life expectancy is 2-3 years on average.
For an independent and highly-driven woman, the loss of movement and freedom is devastating. And Tascha is acutely aware of everything that is going on around her, as while her body shuts down, her brain is as sharp as it ever was.
Confined to the family home in Queanbeyan and dependent on her husband, family, friends and carers, Tascha needs to enjoy some of life’s simple pleasures with her family with the time she has left.
Tascha and Matt have been together 32 years and between them have served for 39 in the Australian Defence Force.
And the issue is, having now lost the use of three limbs and the ability to walk, Tascha has no way of navigating the stairs in her home, forcing her to live in the downstairs spare bedroom, isolated from her husband and sons when they spend time in the living areas and kitchen upstairs. Tascha and Matt have lobbied the NDIS to install a lift in their home to enable Tascha to spend her time surrounded by her family as they cook meals together, and do what families do. Devastatingly for the Loadsmans, the application for a lift was knocked back, as was an appeal.
Now, rather than fight bureaucracy, friends are rallying to raise the funds themselves to support the family to modify the home—giving Tascha as much freedom and support as possible.
Her husband Matt says despite the severity of the disease, she is keeping a positive outlook.
The couple met as teenagers before serving a combined 39 years in the Australian Defence Force including Operational Service overseas in countries including Afghanistan.
They settled in Queanbeyan in 2013 to focus on their family.
Matt said the Queanbeyan community had been incredible in coming to the family’s aid.
“My main frustration is the feeling of not being able to fight this bastard. No matter what we do, Tascha will keep progressing and deteriorating. Watching the first person I ever dedicated my life to be imprisoned in her own body is really tough and confronting. I think she is amazing, and her strength and courage is inspiring.”
“At the most basic level, I am watching the person I chose to do life with, slowly die, and there is nothing I can do to stop or even slow it. She is my partner, confidante, sounding board, she lifts me up, she consoles me, she supports me, we laugh, we cry and we love. I know that my life got better that day I met her, I will always have that.”
“We know what the future holds but our lives up to this point is something to be truly happy and grateful for. I love her and she loves me so it can’t be all bad right?”
You can follow Tascha’s MND journey on Facebook at You, Me & MND – Motor Neurone Disease.
Friend Matt Smith has set up a Go Fund Me Page and a Facebook page called Lift Tasch Up (You, Me and MND). Meanwhile, an enthusiastic group of friends have been busy in recent weeks organizing a gala fundraising night in order to raise the $102,000, required to complete building works and purchase the lift.
They had booked a tentative date of 30 Oct but fear COVID may wreck their plans to raise the urgent funds needed.
Instead, Matt said the event would go ahead once lockdowns had ended and the community could gather safely again.
He urged anyone hearing about Tascha’s story to consider making a Go Fund Me donation so they could get the lift ordered and planning underway for the install.
“Even a few dollars can keep the momentum going during these tough COVID times.”
A gala event to do Tascha proud will be announced in coming weeks.
