Mark Williams

☠️❤️🖤 #MotorNeuroneDisease #MNDAwareness #ALS #ALSWarrior #NeverGiveUp #Quote #Defiance

12 months!! 12 months since symptoms began! 12 months of amazing, hard, testing, beautiful, awful, heartwarming times. I've been 45 minutes trying to get this down to 1:30 😂 I could probably do a 45 minute reel quite easily. On we go for the next 12 months! Love you all. LET'S GO!!!!!!! More fuel in the tank now than ever! #MNDEFIANCE #motorneuronedisease #DEFIANCE #wontstop #love #family #friends #mindset

🔊 ANNOUNCEMENT 🔊 We are proud & happy to announce MNDEFIANCE is now an official registered trust.. ❤️☠️🖤 Looking back over the last 2 years .. it’s unbelievable how much support we have received. Every tshirt, hoodie & wristband purchased, every event, raffle, challenge, donation, collection & spreading awareness of MND has played a huge part in making this happen so thank you 🙏🏼 Big shoutout to @joedeboise for helping us set it up, we can’t thank you enough for making a vision finally come true. We can continue to help those families that are affected by MND whilst still flying the defiance flag. #MNDEFIANCE #Trust #Official #Fundraising #Families #Support #Thankyou #NeverGiveUp ❤️🖤🥁🖤❤️

Niamh loves her new kit from @the_combat_co_ … lovely colours! Shes chuffed to bits with it! Our little lady warrior in the making…. Lots to learn and need to build her confidence but she’s getting there … Big shout out to @teah.lv & @coach_giff … amazing with the kids! Watch this space 💪🏼 🥊 🖤🧡

#speakurmnd365 #NewEpisode (Version 2, Due to technical difficulties) 🫶 also new content! The latest and last episode of season 1 of the speak your MND podcast with me @mummybarrow is a little different, its just me hosting, when we started the speak your MND Podcast there were a few goals that @mbarrow1 and I had in mind, I wanted to host the show using my eye gaze and cloned voice. We wanted our guests to be from all walks of life from living with MND, Carers to Fundraisers, who all have a their own amazing stories to share. We wanted a podcast for the community, brought to you by the community. We also wanted music to accompany the podcast, composed by someone from the community, Thank you @aphplusplus for the new music to accompany the podcast 🫶 We wanted to share the highs, the lows, the good, the bad and the ugly, the wins, the losses and to try and serve up some advice and let you al know that your not alone on this journey, and thanks to the amazing guests I think we have achieved this. But one of my personal goals was to host an episode alongside a fellow individual living alongside MND, using only our Eye Gaze devices, and I had the person in mind from day one. @markwill_84 has been apart of my MND journey from the very start, he’s a source of knowledge and experience, he’s a good ear when i need to vent, he’s the reassurance I need when I’m making tough decisions and most importantly he’s always ready to take the piss out of me and remind me not to take life to seriously. Mark has been on this journey for over 4 years, he’s had his ups and downs, but Mark alongside his wife @_stephanie2311 have huge hearts and work tirelessly to help other families on the same journey through the @mndefiance_trust24 . And we will return in June 🫶 Anna 🧡 #mndawareness #podcast

Archie tried something new yesterday & went training with @futsalvalleyacademyno1 ⚽️🖤💛… this boy does not stop! A fantastic opportunity for him to learn new skills & technique with some very talented young players. Archie felt a little out of his depth yesterday but we have every bit of faith that he will do well. He is determined, passionate, disciplined & willing to learn. We know he’s in good hands with Kev & the team! So thank you @futsalvalleyacademyno1 for having him on board and giving him this amazing opportunity… I know he will give 110% … some very talented players on the team & I know Archie will learn a lot from them. Keep shining my boy! We love you ❤️💫

The harder things get at home the harder he works! Archie what on earth are you made of my boy? You amaze me! Asks for nothing, grateful for everything, we hardly make his away games now and he just cracks on for his team and coaches. If I went tomorrow I know he’s gonna absolutely smash it. No pushing, no cheerleading, self driven and smiling doing it! My hero forever! ❤️

💚🤍💙 ARCHIE BOY TURNS 1️⃣1️⃣ 💙🤍💚 Happy Birthday to our little man!! 11 years ago you entered this world with a bang… and still, you amaze us every single day! You were the one who taught us what unconditional love is! You’ve taught us so much over the years and by far one of our biggest achievements in life! Over the past year you have grown up so much! The most amazing, strong, determined, kind hearted, bravest little lad there is! You light up the room wherever you go with your wicked & witty sense of humour. Always be your true authentic self! We are so proud of you Archie .. now and always! Don’t you ever change my boy! You’re growing up to be the most amazing little man with a huge heart! You make us laugh every single day…. Your huge blue eyes, that wicked laugh, those dashing freckles. You really are one in a million! There are no words that can describe what you mean to us! You’re the reason we keep going… Best job in the world is being your mammy & daddy and we’re forever grateful to you! Love you more than you love fillet steak & chocolate buttons ❤️❤️❤️

#speakurmnd365 Day 118: PIVOT!!! Today's poem, A request! I love a good request.. it's become a monthly thing, I left it late as worked on it for a week, this request is from @markwill_84 'a poem about transferring' I also try to pick a song that fits the theme of the poem, today's isn't a song, but I can definitely relate It's also dedicated to all the #carers who are lifting and shifting and individuals living alongside #mnd being lifted and shifted. We all have our methods that, I'm sure, aren't in the NHS handling manual 🤣 Any requests anyone? ✌️ & 🧡🧡

To all you lovely people who bought us a coffee via the link… this is where your money goes ❤️ Coffee and cake from @closcwtch and a stroll. I’m starting the journey of climbing out the hole I’ve been in…. what helps? Getting out, hearing the birds, seeing people I know or total strangers, having positive interactions… yeah I can’t talk, but people can tell and often just say hi or an example today a lady walked by and touched me on the shoulder. I wonder if she knew what that simple gesture meant to me? This situation is never gonna be easy and will always bring with it, depression and anxiety. The key for me is just keeping my head above water, enough to breathe. There’s a time to rest and a time to push yourself and get out, the hardest part is knowing when. I still haven’t worked it out. Today is a good day! ❤️ @_stephanie2311

OPNMND are so grateful to announce Mark will be working with our team developing our mental wellness content.. A lot of you know Mark from his charity MNDefiance, we all see his smiling face and supportive comments however faces his battles daily. With over 16 years working in health and social care and a number of relevant courses under his belt he will be a huge asset our cause.. “I’m not very good at selling myself mate makes me uncomfortable 🤣 but I’ve got 16 years experience of helping people physically and mentally, I’ve got several qualifications ranging from diplomas to qcf 3 and 5 in health and social care and some counseling and therapy stuff, to me they are just paper. My real passion is hands on helping people who are going through trauma, this is why I said yes when you asked me to come on board as part of your mental wellness team. I’m hoping to be able to give your charity a bit of assistance in this area. I’ve suffered with my own mental health over the years and have ptsd so that on top of an mnd diagnosis should put me in a situation to offer some advice. I totally agree with what you’re trying to achieve and we’re in a position where help and advice is very hard to come by.” 👊🏼❤️

Happy and smiley! Don’t be fooled by what you see on instagram! I’m out and about trying to dig myself out of the deepest hole I’ve ever been in… depression is at an all time low so is my anxiety. I’m hyper sensitive to sounds, lights, and just about everything. It’s not for the faint hearted this shit. I’m also unable to drive myself over difficult terrain or up hills now, which is more independence lost. Steph has to drive me unless I’m on the flat which pretty much counts as everywhere because we live on a mountain. I have a big support network as you all know so I’ve got lots of physical and emotional support. I told my mates the reality earlier and they brought me out the darkness straight away. So why am I posting this? Don’t be fooled by a smile and reach out when your struggling. You’d be surprised who has your back. I’ll get it back… I wouldn’t let mnd have the last laugh. Fuck that! Anyone else struggling you’re not alone ❤️❤️