A GoFundMe has been started for a 35-year-old actor, writer and director Michael Campbell, from Belfast, who is living with Motor Neurone Disease.

Although MND is usually diagnosed after 50-years, Michael now urgently needs specialist care following a recommended tracheostomy.

The appeal – Tracheostomy Support for Michael – has so far raised more than £54,000.

Michael, also known professionally as Michael Patrick, was diagnosed with MND in 2023.

According to his friend Conal Maguire, before and throughout his illness, Michael became widely admired for his artistic work, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, writing radio and TV drama for the BBC, and most recently creating and starring in a celebrated adaptation of Richard III at the Lyric Theatre Belfast.

In January he won the Judges’ Award at The Stage Awards, one of the UK’s top theatre honours.

Conal, who organised the GoFundMe, says Michael now uses a wheelchair and requires a ventilator to help him breathe.

He also needs needs carers for most daily tasks.

placeholder image — Writer and Director Michael Campbell from Belfast who suffers from MND

Conal adds: ‘Despite this, he continues to create new work, including a sitcom about a man in his 30s living with MND, drawing on his own experience with honesty and humour’.

Conal said that he had a ‘breakthrough’ recently ‘when, after joining a clinical drug trial, Michael regained movement in his foot for the first time in almost two years’.

‘But his doctors believe a tracheostomy could give him the best chance of benefiting from this progress, by strengthening his breathing and protecting his airway as the disease advances,’ he said.

Conal says that ‘the challenge now is funding the continuous, highly specialised care required after the procedure’.

The estimated cost of supporting Michael safely at home is £100,000, which would allow him to continue writing, performing and spending meaningful time with his wife, Naomi.

According to NHS Choices ‘Motor neurone disease (MND)’ causes muscle weakness that gets worse over a few months or years.

‘It's usually life-shortening and there's currently no cure, but treatment can help manage the symptoms.’

NHS Choices adds that symptoms of MND include:

stiff or weak hands – you may have problems holding or gripping things
weak legs and feet – you may find climbing stairs difficult, you may trip over a lot and you may find it hard to lift or move your foot (foot drop)
twitches, spasms or muscle cramps (where muscles painfully tighten)

And as MND ‘gets worse, you may have problems breathing, swallowing and speaking, produce a lot of saliva (drool), have changes in your mood and personality and be unable to walk or move.

NHS Choices adds: ‘You may not get all the symptoms and how quickly they get worse can vary from person to person’.