Actor and former rugby league player Matt Nable has opened up about his cousin being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, just two years after the same condition claimed the life of his brother Aaron.
Family Struck by MND Again
Nable, who played first-grade for Manly and South Sydney before forging a successful acting career, lost his brother Aaron in early 2024 after a four-year battle with MND. Aaron, a former amateur boxing champion, died at age 46.
Now, Nable has revealed that his cousin Luke, aged 35, has been diagnosed with the disease. In an Instagram post on Saturday, Nable wrote: 'This is my cousin Luke Nable. He's 35. He was diagnosed with MND last year. He's doing it tough.'
He added that Luke has moved into a wheelchair and will receive a PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) tube later this month. Nable described the disease as 'horrible', 'indiscriminate', and 'cruel'.
Luke reportedly told his mother, 'I thought I had more time,' which Nable said 'broke her heart'. Nable urged his cousin to 'fight as hard as you can' and asked for donations to a GoFundMe page set up for Luke.
Ongoing Battle Against MND
Last year, Nable participated in the AFL's 'Big Freeze' fundraiser, which aims to find a cure for MND after the disease struck football legend Neale Daniher.
Since Aaron's diagnosis in July 2020, Matt has spoken openly about the devastating impact of MND, which causes motor nerve cells in the brain to break down, leading to progressive muscle weakness and paralysis.
'This disease, what it does is just the hardest thing to watch,' Matt said. 'You realise when you lose something like this, it's hard to accept. I won't ever be the same. I won't be whole again and that's part of life.'
Aaron, who left behind three young sons, was remembered by Matt as a 'gregarious man' and a 'gentle man' with a 'big life'. His funeral was attended by 2,000 people, a testament to the impact he had on many.
