harrigran, Stephen Hawking is very much the exception to the rule. We had one patient who had a similar condition... amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that in those individuals had not proved fatal to date, although I'm out of the loop now and he may have passed away. Motor Neurone Disease is a term used to describe a group or cluster of disease states, with each disease or condition bringing its own problems and outcomes. One of them is Progressive Bulbar Palsy which affects speech and swallowing and the muscles of the diaphragm and it is not usual for that process to be halted, but in Hawking's case it has. In the 80s we spoke of Pseudo Bulbar Palsy in those cases. Most MND patients are diagnosed in their 5th decade or later, however Stephen Hawking was diagnosed in his early twenties, once again showing him to be an exceptional individual in many ways. I organised a MND conference here in South Australia in the late 80s and he was kind enough to record a piece on his Living Centre Speech Plus system wishing we lay people as well as the health professionals well in our efforts to help those afflicted with MND and their families and carers. His message was very much to make the most of life, enjoy every moment especially those spent with loved ones and friends, and not to waste precious time worrying about the things that can't be changed. Good advice for everyone, not just those affected by what my mate Terry who roped me into getting our MND group started called "this bastard of a disease".