‘Life is part chance, part circumstance, part choice. You don’t get to choose everything that happens to you, but you always get to choose who you become in response.’ Neale Daniher is in his thirteenth year of living with Motor Neurone Disease. His body is broken and he can no longer speak, but his mind is sharp and his capacity to give, unvanquished. With the terminal diagnosis came a choice: to retreat into the comfort of home and family, or to look for opportunity in the darkest of times. Neale – a thinker, a taskmaster, a competitor – chose to fight, not just for his life but for those who will be diagnosed in the future. His tireless work with FightMND has helped to mobilised millions of Australians to combat the cruel killer he calls The Beast. Neale shares with us what he wishes to pass on to his six grandkids, to help them harness the power of choice and make good decisions. Lessons on choosing your attitude, being courageous and accepting responsibility sit beside advice on practising gratitude, valuing actions over words and making the world a better place – all leading towards getting the most out of ourselves and staying in the driver’s seat of our own lives. Written with the clarity, wisdom and huge-heartedness of a man who has chosen to dedicate his final years to the service of others, The Power of Choice is an urgent reminder to use our agency to grow, to give, to love and to make every minute count.
