RENOWNED as a world-famous physicist and celebrated for his ground-breaking
theories, Professor Stephen Hawking, who was born exactly 300 years after the death of
Galileo, is a hero and inspiration to many people living with motor neurone disease
(MND).
The new documentary Hawking, which premiered at the Cambridge Film Festival,
charts the life and work of Prof Hawking and gives an insight into the daily medical care
he undergoes.
Hawking was recently shown over several nights at the QFT in Belfast, also the venue
for showings of the acclaimed MND awareness documentary I Am Breathing.
At the start of the documentary, Prof Hawking (71) states, via his famous synthesised
voice: "I have lived over two-thirds of my life with
the threat of death hanging over me. I have tried to
make good use of my time.”
Experts say that Prof Hawking, who still goes to
work every day at Cambridge University, has a
rare form of MND – which is also known as
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou
Gehrig’s Disease.
Hawking’s dry wit is apparent throughout the film, from the shot of his quirky cufflinks
with the slogan ‘Keep Calm’, to clips of his cameos in The Simpsons and The Big Bang
Theory plus his unlikely friendship with comedian Jim Carrey.
Reflecting on his diagnosis when he was a 21-year-old student at Cambridge, Hawking
wryly comments how he suddenly became “somewhat of a tragic character” who “took
to listening to Wagner”.
As well as being a portrait of a scientific genius, Hawking also gives an insight into a rare
disease that affects 120 people in Northern Ireland.
As a volunteer with the MND Association, which works to promote the needs and rights
of people living with MND and their families, it was fascinating to see how Prof Hawking
and those around him manage his illness.
The association continues to work to protect and progress public services for people
with this devastating and terminal condition.
Alice Fuller, campaigns and development manager at the association, says: “Whilst
services here are generally good, there are some areas that need improvement.
“For example, we are currently campaigning to reduce the length of time people wait to
get their diagnosis of MND confirmed.
“Currently over half (63%) of people waiting do not see a neurophysiologist within the
nine-week waiting time set by government.
“As a rapidly progressing degenerative condition (half of people with MND will die
within 14 months), securing a timely diagnosis is extremely important.
“We want to see referral to doctors who have the expertise to confirm a diagnosis of
MND to be as quick as referrals for people with suspected cancer.”
This article first appeared in The Irish News on September 25, 2013
(www.irishnews.com)