For Cynthia Greentree, getting out and about during the week usually involves a good cause.
Cynthia has lived with MND for 29 years, and this month she is walking 29km with her carers – a kilometre for every year she has experienced motor neurone disease – in support of MND NSW.
Already racking up over 45km in her travels to the local shops in her wheelchair with her carers walking by her side, and further afield in her community including around lakes and other lovely local scenery in the Central Coast, she said she’s ‘had fun’.
“Each month we’ll do a walk to raise money for charity, and this month we wanted to support MND NSW,” Cynthia said.
“It’s always around the local area, we’ll usually do about 2-3km each time we go out.”
Cynthia was first diagnosed with MND after spending some time ‘tripping and falling’. She went to see her neurologist to find out what was happening.
“My neurologist got me to walk around a bit, and later diagnosed me and told me to go home and live life to the fullest,” Cynthia said.
She has taken that advice, travelling around and being part of Masonic groups including the Order of the Eastern Star (OES), and Order of the Amaranth to help her community.
“When I was healthier I used to go travelling to Newcastle, Sydney and up to Queensland,” Cynthia said.
“I became part of the Order of the Amaranth in 1984, and in 1992 I also joined the Order of the Eastern Star. I have held the position of Grand Matron, and while I was with the organisations we did a lot of fundraising, including for MND NSW.”
“I think it’s important for people to support MND NSW, they don’t receive much government funding and it can be hard to try and raise money.”
Cynthia now experiences her MND symptoms mainly in her legs, and in her right arm. She’s received a wheelchair through NDIS funding, and also regularly attends our MND NSW Support Group meetings.
“I keep going, I’m not going to let anything stop me,” Cynthia said.
“I’ve got carers who come of a morning, afternoon and night, everyone looks after me and pampers me,” she said.
“I’ve just started at the MND Clinic, and I have been going to Support Group meetings for a while, it’s been good to attend, and I usually try and take a different carer with me each time. We’ve seen a few people come and go during our time at the Support Group meetings.”
“Ezster from MND NSW often gets us to do some art and craft there at the Support Group, I’ve got some paintings that we’ve hung up on the wall at home.”
For now, Cynthia, also known as ‘Little Princess’ by her carers, is focusing on doing more walks each week in her wheelchair while having plenty of fun along the way.
“We’ve done a lot of things, and we find new things to do each time – my carer Melisa will usually take me along the toy aisle at the shops and press all the buttons, or find something to dress me up in. My carers are usually getting me into mischief somewhere,” Cynthia laughed.
“And my wheelchair gets me where I need to go - there’s a few tricky hills around the place, and once we went to Tuggerah with another client who had a push wheelchair. I put my chair up to five and we had a race down through the playground.”
“With the walking challenges we do to raise money for charities each month, we’ve had some bumps and humps in the road, but it’s been a pleasure doing it.”
If you would like to support Cynthia and her carers’ fundraising efforts for families facing MND, you can donate now here.
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