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2 | InTouch JUNE 2022 NEWS ROUNDUP Late MDANZ member, Colin Cockburn, established a fund to help others based on his own experiences. Raised on the family farm at Marton, Colin was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy around the time he was 10 or 11, and his parents were told that he would be lucky to make it much past 20 years of age. So, the decision was made to sell the farm, move to Taupo and allow Colin to enjoy the remainder of what was meant to be a short life. Fast forward a few years and he was still going strong. A new, and more accurate diagnosis was made of Spinal Muscular Atrophy type III. The outlook was still not great, but Colin lived a very full and good quality life for almost 50 years in his beloved home in Taupo, astounding medics. As his own requirements for disability aids and assistance became greater, he realised, and experienced for himself, the great disparity between those whose disability was caused by an accident and those whose disability was genetic (as was his) or caused by illness. This second Generosity a family affair group often have to fight hard for even a little help or the smallest/ simplest piece of equipment, and it was his own such experience that led him to establish the Cockburn Fund. People who live in the Lake Taupo area with chronic long-term disability will benefit from this fund established by Colin Cockburn in 2019. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at an early age, Colin lived for almost another 50 years. Members of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Zealand, who live in the local area, will have priority access to gifts from Colin’s Fund. For more info, visit https://geysercf.org.nz/ Colin Cockburn At the 2022 AGM, Joy and Trevor Jenkin were presented with Life Memberships to MDANZ. Joy and Trevor have contributed significantly to the Northern Branch and the National Association and provide a huge level of support to the DMD community. Congratulations Joy and Trevor! Mahi Tika – Equity in Employment is a disabled-led employment programme developed by the Disabled Persons Association (DPA) seeking expressions of interest for the June programme. If the timing isn’t right for you this time, then the DPA has another intake in late August 2022. If you are a disabled person living in theWaikato area and currently seeking work, the programme would like to support you on your journey. You can express interest in the programme by completing a form at https://forms. office.com/r/FvRCbRXfvn or visiting www.dpa.org.nz Life Membership Mahi Tika – Equity in Employment Trevor and Joy Jenkin People who are at high-risk of getting very sick from a COVID-19 infection will soon be eligible to receive a second booster. This follows a recommendation from the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group that a second booster dose may be beneficial for Second vaccine booster for the most vulnerable those most at-risk of serious illness from COVID-19 aged 16 years and over and with a gap of six months from their previous booster. More information is available here: www.beehive.govt.nz/release/ second-covid-19-vaccine-booster- most-vulnerable