Postcard from Reykjavik. ALS/MND International Alliance Chairman Guðjón Sigurðsson talks about how he hopes to make life better for people with ALS. He has been the head of MND Iceland since 2005.
Many people find extra energy going to the gym. ALS/MND International Alliance Chairman Guðjón Sigurðsson, however, finds his second wind helping to improve the quality of life for people with ALS and to rid the world of this "damned" disease.
"Helping people with ALS every way I can,” says Sigurðsson. "That’s what keeps me going.”
Guðjón Sigurðsson was diagnosed with ALS in 2004. But despite an uncertain future, he had no doubt he could make a difference for people with the disease.
Now the head of MND Iceland, Sigurðsson has worked with health professionals, government officials and other patient advocacy groups around the world to raise awareness about ALS and provide better care for the people with the disease. He has helped put in place a patient registry in Iceland. He has helped deliver wheelchairs to people with ALS in Mongolia. And, most recently, he has teamed up with ALS health professionals in China to encourage acceptance of people with the disease.
“We have to work together,” says Sigurðsson, “we cannot afford to go solo.”