Steve (Bakala) Wurramura lives in the Angurugu Community on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory of Australia. Bakala was diagnosed with the hereditary neuro-degenerative condition, Machado Joseph Disease (MJD) in his late teens and has lived with the progressive onset of this insidious disease for his entire adult life. The MJD Foundation is a charity that provides essential supports for Aboriginal Australians and their families living with MJD. The MJD Foundation is also supporting Bakala’s search for a treatment by funding a research project in Sydney that is using Zebra Fish to test for potential treatments for MJD. Bakala is talking to the researchers about integrating his bush medicine into their research and testing. Bakala and the MJD Foundation need help to continue this research. Every dollar donated to the MJD Foundation goes directly to research, not overheads, so we can find a treatment faster and improve the quality of life for people living with the disease.
OUR STORY
The MJD Foundation works to improve the quality of life for Bakala and others living with the crippling, neuro-degenerative Machado Joseph Disease
BAKALA
The man behind the film
The MJD Foundation
Working to find a treatment
The MJD Foundation supports Aboriginal Australians and their families living with Machado Joseph Disease in Arnhem Land and beyond.
Machado Joseph Disease (MJD) is a hereditary neuro-degenerative condition in the same family as Huntington’s Disease. Each child of a person who carries the defective gene has a 50% chance of developing the disease. Even worse, with each new generation the symptoms of the disease appear around 8-10 years earlier and are more severe. There is currently no cure for MJD.
The MJDF’s core objectives are to support people living with MJD to be able to stay in their communities to live full and rewarding lives. In many cases this means providing direct supports and education programs in very remote, and challenging environments.
The MJD Foundation provides support through delivering primary health and disability supports for those living with MJD, providing education, increasing advocacy and raising money for research. Every dollar donated to the MJD Foundation’s ‘Bakala the Film’ campaign goes directly into research, and not overheads. The MJD Foundation needs your help to continue supporting those living with this cruel disease, and continuing to support Bakala and his community’s search for a treatment.
The Film
A creative journey in remote NT
In a serene swimming hole, Bakala revealed a somewhat whimsical though heartfelt desire; to find a cure for MJD somewhere out there, out on country, from the land itself. Maybe from a plant or a balm or even a ceremony, or a practice. Magic and the belief in its presence and power are still strong, and talk of curses and sorcery are never far from local conversation.
Film makers Nik Lachajczak and Alison Page (ZakPage) have worked on several MJD Foundation projects over the years, helping the MJDF create educational resources about the disease. Over the years, a strong bond formed between Bakala and Nik, and this film was borne from them exploring Bakala’s most inner thoughts and beliefs about MJD.
Contact Us
Do you have questions about Bakala the Film, or the MJD Foundation and its work? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line below.
