Walk to Defeat MND Toowoomba is on 31st August from 9AM at Queens Park, Toowoomba. Glen and Jenny Martin will lead the charge as our Walk Champion this year and share his story.
What is a Walk Champion?
We know MND has directly impacted many in our community, which is why our wonderful community choose to make a difference. Their ongoing commitment to making a positive impact is commendable, and we've introduced the Walk Champion initiative to celebrate people that really go the extra mile!
Before each Walk, we ask a family or individual in our community who is participating for a loved one living with MND or is honouring those they've lost to this devastating condition, to be Walk Champion. The Walk Champion intentionally leads our Sea of Blue, and we'll share their wholehearted reasons for walking.
Introducing Glen and Jenny's Story: Finding the Joy in the Hardest Times
We’re Glen and Jenny Martin — or GlenJen, as some people call us. We’ve been together since 2015 and got married in 2018. Between us, we’ve got six kids — Glen has four from before we met, and Jenny has two. Two of the kids live overseas, and the others are scattered across Queensland, but they all make the time to stay close.
In September 2022, our lives changed completely when Glen was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. There’s no sugar-coating it — it’s a devastating disease. We’d heard of MND before, but only just. We didn’t know how brutal and relentless it really is until it became part of our lives.
Our journey started around Christmas 2020, when Glen noticed weakness in his right arm while lifting cartons at work. He was the manager of Dan Murphy’s in Toowoomba and had been in retail since he was 16. He thought it might be an old football injury. Scans showed some degeneration in his neck, and he had two major spinal surgeries — but the weakness didn’t improve. It spread to his left arm. That’s when he was referred to a neurologist. Then came the diagnosis.
We’d planned to work a few more years before retiring and travelling. But suddenly, everything shifted. We brought those travel plans forward and went to Melbourne, Western Australia, Tasmania, North Queensland, and even took a cruise to New Zealand. We’re grateful for those memories. But the way we see things now has changed too. Family time at home has become even more precious.
Sometimes it’s not about chasing new experiences, but holding on to what you already have.
After the diagnosis, Glen’s sister found MND Queensland’s website and passed it on. Making that call helped us take our first steps forward. The pressure it took off — for Glen, for Jenny, for the kids — was massive. Suddenly we weren’t doing this on our own. We were guided through what to do and where to go next. Living in Toowoomba hasn’t been a barrier either. We’ve had home visits, phone calls, Teams meetings. We now access physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, voice banking, support coordination, education sessions — the works.
We know MND is a terminal disease. There’s no denying it. The uncertainty about how and when things will change is one of the hardest parts. But being supported by people who understand what we’re going through has helped us keep moving, even when things feel uncertain.
One thing that has kept us going is a mindset we’ve embraced together: "Finding the Joy". It doesn’t mean every day is easy, or that we’re always upbeat. There are tough moments — changes to adjust to, things to let go of. But "Finding the Joy" is about noticing what’s still good. A laugh. A shared meal. Watching our children step up and make time for Sunday dinners. Holding hands. Telling the truth. Saying what needs to be said.
The support from our family and friends has been overwhelming. Our daughter Adelaide, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, is flying up from Melbourne for the Toowoomba Walk. Glen’s sister Karen and her husband Mick are coming from Hervey Bay. They’ve done walks in Bundaberg before, but they’re coming here this year to walk with us. Jenny’s daughter and others are travelling from Brisbane. All of this effort, just to stand with us — it means more than we can say.
We’ve walked before — in Toowoomba and Redcliffe — but this year feels even more meaningful. It’s a reminder that we’re still here. Still walking.
After Glen’s diagnosis, Dan Murphy’s ran a huge fundraiser across Queensland. Stores sold wristbands and coolers and collected donations. The campaign raised over $55,000 in one week. It was humbling and uplifting. It wasn’t just about the money. It was about people caring. People showing up.
We’ve also tried to give back through research. Glen has taken part in the Metabolic Study and the Lighthouse Trial — not because it will help us personally, but because maybe it will help someone else one day. If we can contribute even a little to finding a treatment or a cure, then we want to do that.
This journey has taught us that support is everything. Strength doesn’t just come from within — it comes from being surrounded by people who care, and from asking for help when you need it. There’s no shame in that. In fact, it’s what has held us up.
To anyone else going through this, we want to say: don’t do it alone. Surround yourself with support. Take the moments as they come. Don’t wait to say the things you want to say. Rest when you need to. Laugh when you can. Let yourself feel. And always, always find the joy where you can — even if it’s just a little sliver of light on a hard day.
This is a cruel disease. It strips away so much. But it has also shown us how deeply people can love, how fiercely they can support, and how beautiful the small moments can be when everything else feels uncertain.
We’re still here. We’re still walking. And we’re still loving each other through it.
– Glen & Jen
If you haven't yet signed up for the Toowoomba walk, pre-registration will be open until 11pm Thursday, 28th August. If you miss out, don't worry, you can still sign up on the day. Fundraising pages will remain open for several weeks after the event.
Register for the Walk