Trekking for Adam and awareness

Hiking the Larapinta Trail for MND research

Adam Marcus is your typical bloke — a friend, brother, son, cousin, husband and father. However, in March 2016 he was dealt a cruel blow when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) and told he had a short life expectancy.

In the months after his diagnosis, friends and family rallied around Adam and his wife Alicia, and formed ‘Team Adz’, pledging to do everything possible to raise awareness and funds for research into MND.

Sophie Mitchell, Adam’s sister-in-law, was instrumental in putting the team together. “I created this trek out of pure fear,” she says. “Fear that Adam was going to be unfairly taken away from us, and there was nothing we could do about it.”

For their first mission, Team Adz was scheduled to complete a gruelling six-day trek along the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory in July 2017. The group knows, however, that it is not nearly as challenging as the future Adam faces.

“I want to make MND known to my friends, colleagues, acquaintances and anyone that will listen. It’s a desperate attempt to find answers,” Sophie says. “I can see now that because of fundraising groups, MND is coming closer to being cured. I am extremely proud of the trek team for dedicating their hearts and souls to their mate".

“This trek is one of the most important things I have ever done in my life. Adam is one of the most important people in my life, so why wouldn’t I fight for him?”.