Dad's call for a high-profile voice

A DAD battling motor neuron disease says Ireland needs a high- profile figure to spearhead the fight against the debilitating disease.

- BY DANNY DE VAAL

Andres Estevez-Guersanik moved to Dublin from Argentina 20 years ago and was diagnosed in 2023.

He said this country lacks a visible champion for the cause when compared to the UK.

Figures like late rugby stars Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow, along with Kevin Sinfield, Rob Wainwright, and Kenny Logan, have shaped how the public in the UK views the illness.

Andres said: "We had Charlie Bird and Fr Tony Coote. They made such a difference as they got the nation talking, but they're not here anymore and no one has stepped in.

"And without that voice, that figure, the momentum is at risk of fading. We need someone new to carry the torch for awareness and to change how people treat this disease, how quickly you're diagnosed, how services work.

"That only happens when someone with a platform says, 'Enough.' When they say, 'This matters."