CANBERRA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A motor neuron disease (MND) patient has been named the Australian of the Year for 2025 for his work to find a cure for the neurodegenerative condition.
Neale Daniher was bestowed the prestigious award by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday night at a ceremony here.
Daniher, 63, was diagnosed with MND in 2013 and was told that patients with the disease, which affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord that tell the muscles what to do, had an average life expectancy of 27 months.
Defying that life expectancy, he has used his position as a former player and coach in the Australian Football League (AFL) to increase awareness of MND and raised over 100 million Australian dollars (63.1 million U.S. dollars) for medical research to find a cure.
In a speech that was pre-recorded because the condition has left him unable to speak, Daniher said he was deeply honored to receive the award.
"Motor neuron disease is a beast of a disease -- it doesn't discriminate. It robs you of your ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe," he said.
"But it did something else, too. It lit a fire within me. A determination to fight for those who are currently affected, and those who will face it after me."
Indigenous scientist Katrina Wruck was named the Young Australian of the Year for her work researching how to turn dangerous forever chemicals in water into benign ones.
Western Australia's Thomas Oliver Pickett, 83, was recognized as the Senior Australian of the Year.
Pickett in 1996 co-founded the charity Wheelchairs for Kids, which has since gifted over 60,000 custom-made wheelchairs to children with mobility issues in more than 80 countries. ■