Ex two-time Casey Mayor and VFL footballer Geoff Ablett has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), prompting his family to launch a fundraising campaign to help bring him home from the hospital.
The diagnosis came just before Christmas after months of hospital stays and medical tests, during which doctors struggled to determine the cause of his rapid physical decline.
Mr Ablett said he had spent about 12 months in and out of the hospital over the past 15 months, after initially seeking treatment for hip and back issues.
Symptoms first became clear more than eight months ago while undergoing rehabilitation following a hip replacement, when he failed to regain strength and began losing function in his left leg, according to him.
“It took about 13 or 14 months to diagnose,” he said.
Mr Ablett explained that the condition initially mimicked arthritis and other common ailments before specialised nerve testing confirmed MND.
He also said that the stress surrounding his involvement in the IBAC Operation Sandon investigation had taken a toll.
“There are several possibilities (of the contributing factor). Chemicals, stress. The IBAC was a lot,” he said.
“I’m still innocent today…There was no evidence. I wanted to put that I was wrongly accused, and I’m very disappointed.”
Mr Ablett served as a City of Casey councillor for approximately 12 years, from 2008 until the then-council cohort was sacked by the State Government in early 2020 due to a anti-corruption investigation.
The investigation by the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) later found that he allegedly received significant payments and other financial benefits from property developer John Woodman while promoting the developer’s interests at the council.
Though Mr Ablett received adverse findings in the IBAC report, he was not charged, while ex-mayor Sam Aziz and Woodman face criminal proceedings.
Mr Ablett is now wheelchair-bound and requires round-the-clock care, including assistance with breathing, mobility and daily tasks such as bathing and dressing.
“Receiving this diagnosis has been devastating for our family,” Janice Ablett, Mr Ablett’s sister, said in the fundraising statement.
“MND does not discriminate and progressively takes away the body’s ability to function. Impacting mobility, speech, and independence.
“Watching someone you love face this illness is heartbreaking, especially a man, my brother, who has always been fit and active and proactive at taking on life.”
According to the fundraising page, the family’s priority is to return Mr Ablett to his own home, where he can be surrounded by loved ones, but urgent modifications are needed before that can happen.
The home is said to require accessibility upgrades, including ramps, bathroom alterations and specialised medical equipment, along with ongoing support from nurses and carers.
While Ablett has been assessed as eligible for aged-care funding, his family say delays in accessing government support have left them facing high out-of-pocket costs at a critical time.
His sister, Janice, said the family is hoping community support will help bridge the gap and allow Ablett to leave the hospital sooner.
“Any donation, no matter how small, would be deeply appreciated. All proceeds will go directly towards supporting Geoff and our family through this incredibly challenging and constantly changing journey,” she said in the statement.
Motor Neurone Disease is a progressive and incurable neurological condition that gradually robs people of their ability to move, speak and breathe.
Mr Ablett was a prominent Australian rules footballer who played 229 games in the Victorian Football League during the 1970s and 1980s, predominantly on the wing for Hawthorn, where he was part of two premiership teams in 1976 and 1978.
He later had brief playing stints with Richmond and St Kilda before retiring from league football.
Mr Ablett was known for his pace and endurance, winning the AFL Grand Final Sprint multiple times during his playing career, and was part of the famous Ablett football family that includes Hall of Fame great Gary Ablett Sr.
After his football career, Mr Ablett served as a councillor and mayor of the City of Casey and ran as a Liberal Party candidate in state elections.
At the time of writing, the fundraising window remains open, with donations close to $14,000 raised.
To help, visit: gofundme.com/f/geoff-ablett-diagnosed-with-mnd-family-want-to-take-him-home
