I was honoured to be invited by Brent Sikh Centre Gurdwara (Temple) to address the congregation and raise awareness about Motor Neurone Disease within the Asian community. I felt this was a great opportunity to make a real difference for those people living with and affected by MND. I had discovered through my research that very few Asian people used the services provided by the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Through further discussions my belief was validated that there is a very real stigma attached to those from the community who have been diagnosed with any neurological disorder. They talked about how they hide their loved ones from the world as they fear judgment by others in their community and this stigma leads to additional stress thus resulting in depression. By the end of the session people were still shy to take leaflets in front of others and only did so by taking me aside individually to tell me their story.

This has now led me to give further talks in other temples.