TAYNE Hogan was only 13 years old when her father, Roger, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2010.
What followed was a traumatic time for her family with Roger dying just three months later.
But while the emotional scars remain, she is proudly stepping out to keep her father’s legacy alive and raising significant funds to help find a cure for the disease.
Ms Hogan is determined to make a difference in the lives of those suffering with MND and is gearing up to run 10km as part of Run Melbourne on July 2.
In recent times the fight to cure MND has been highly publicised thanks to initiatives like FightMND’s Big Freeze, but in 2010 the disease was little known unless you were dealing with it first-hand.
Ms Hogan admitted it was a confusing time for her and her family as they did not have much information when her father became ill.
“I had never even heard of MND before my dad was diagnosed,” she said.
“All of a sudden we were facing something we did not know existed and it was such a scary time.”
Ms Hogan recalls the next three months of her family’s life as a living hell.
“I remember lying awake at night scared my dad might not wake up the next morning,” she said.
“I would run to my parents’ room just to spend as much time as I could with him.
“There were so many times when he would be struggling so much to breathe that we would have to call an ambulance and I remember thinking it could be the last time I would ever see him.”
Roger sadly lost his fight only three months after first being diagnosed and Ms Hogan said the loss changed her life forever.
“It was an incredibly hard thing to process at that age,” she said.
“My brother was only 10 so it was really tough for us to lose our dad so young and so quickly.”
Although her family struggled with the loss, Ms Hogan does not think of herself as different from anyone else.
“You could talk to anyone and they would have a story about hard times in their life,” she said.
“I do not think that my life is worse than anyone else’s or that I have had it any tougher because we all have struggles that we need to get through.
“In times like those the only thing you can do is stay strong so that is what I have tried to do.”
This year will mark 11 years since Run Melbourne was established, with nominated runners donating to charities of their choice.
“I first noticed the run while scrolling through Facebook and thought it would be a good idea to try it out,” Ms Hogan said.
“I had to nominate myself and write about why I should be selected to run for my chosen charity, FightMND.”
Ms Hogan soon received the call that she was selected and the reality that she would actually have to run sank in.
“I am really not a fitness freak,” Ms Hogan said.
“When I first started I would struggle to make it around the Blue Lake, so the thought of running 10km was pretty daunting.”
Ms Hogan said she has had days during her training that she would call her mother to pick her up as she was too exhausted to keep running.
“It was really hard to begin with, but after five months of running and weight training, the distance I used to dread is now just a warm-up,” she said.
“I currently run one kilometre in four minutes and for the race I need to at least be under five minutes so I am already ahead of the mark, which I am really proud of.”
Starting with a fundraising goal of $1500, Ms Hogan has raised more 10 times that amount with $15,961 currently donated to the cause.
Ms Hogan has raised her funds through a trivia night, a lasagne drive and a doughnut drive in addition to generous donations from friends and family.
“I am so overwhelmed with the support I have received from the whole community,” Ms Hogan said.
“I did not even think I would raise $1500, so to have the amount is mind blowing.
“I would not have the motivation I do without everyone backing me up, I am so grateful for every donation big or small.”
With a month left to run, there is still time to raise funds and Ms Hogan now has her sights set on $20,000.
“I do not want to get too ahead of myself,” she said.
“But if I could make it to $20,000 that would be amazing.”
Visit runmelbourne2018.everydayhero.com/au/tayne and follow #RunningforRoger to support Ms Hogan’s run.
