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Headlines 11 Behind every organisation is a great team! The Fundraising Team is the heart of the Neurological Foundation. They keep us connected to our community of supporters throughout New Zealand and are our champions in their regions. They get to truly know our supporters, many of whom have lived with a neurological condition, whether it be themselves or a loved one, friend or colleague. Over the last couple of years, we have got to know a lot about you, our supporters, so we wanted to give you the same opportunity. Meet our Donor Relations Specialists – Margie Carter, Theresa Liebenberg and Kellie Bain. They all have unique and wonderful stories to tell you about how they ended up at the Neurological Foundation. We hope that you welcome them into your family as you have been welcomed into theirs. Deterioration – that is the best way to describe what Margie Carter, Lower North Island Donor Relations Specialist of the Neurological Foundation, is feeling while watching her mum live with Alzheimer’s disease. Prue, Margie mum, self-diagnosed herself with early Alzheimer’s in 2012 when she noticed things weren’t quite right with her memory. She took herself to her GP and asked to have a test done to confirm her suspicions. Her GP told her that they doubted she had Alzheimer’s disease as it is rarely self- diagnosed, but they would continue with the test. It was confirmed though, Prue had Alzheimer’s disease. Margie could only describe the confirmation as devastating. “We were really fearful of the journey and the future for her. To anyone who met our mum, she was a kind-hearted, fit, wise woman, who everyone loved.” But this wasn’t the first time Margie’s family was introduced to a neurological condition. Margie’s father, Prue’s husband, had been diagnosed in 1998 with multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 56 and Prue had been taking care of him ever since. Which is also how Margie was introduced to the Neurological Foundation. “I first heard of [the Neurological Foundation] when I read a Headlines magazine that I found on the coffee table at my parents’ house. That was back in 2012, and ever since, have been interested to read about the latest research.” Working for the Neurological Foundation has given Margie a sense of hope. Like so many of our supporters watching a loved one live with a neurological condition, a little bit of hope can go a long way. “I feel honoured to be a small cog, in a large wheel, raising funds so researchers can help find cures and preventions for these cruel diseases and disorders. I need to have the hope, that there will be [treatments] or cures in my lifetime. Seeing how neurological conditions have affected my parents, makes me even more passionate and determined to find cures.” For Margie, working for the Neurological Foundation is all about building those connections with supporters, who like her, know what it is to watch someone disappear before your eyes. When asked what Margie dreams the Neurological Foundation can accomplish in the future, she responded with this. “Hope. I truly believe with the ongoing research happening here in New Zealand, and around the globe, that we will find a cure for Alzheimer’s, MS and other neurological conditions. But it is imperative that we keep chipping away at this research in order to one day find those cures.” Margie grew up in Christchurch, and now lives with her husband and two children in the Wairarapa on a lifestyle block. She met her husband on her six-year OE to London and managed to lure him back to New Zealand. Margie has worked and volunteered at many not-for-profits throughout her career but felt that a change was in order. She wanted to work for an organisation that she was passionate about and directly benefited her family – the Neurological Foundation. When all you have is a memory and hope