Michelle Baker’s voice can usually be heard at any given second of the day somewhere in the Big W Orange, but on Thursday, September 21, things were noticeably quieter around the store.

After being challenged by one of the store managers, Michelle agreed to participate in the motor neuron disease fundraiser ‘Shut Up! For MND’, which saw Michelle pledge to not utter a word for six hours. As well as raising money to support people living with motor neuron disease, it is also about drawing attention to the challenges they face. For many people, that is losing their voice and being forced to rely on other forms of communication.

As many of Michelle’s coworkers told OC Life, for her not to speak for six whole hours was a challenge indeed!

“I like to sing, I like to talk; It's been a big challenge, I can tell you now!” Michelle said, following her six hours of silence… Well, there was one brief lapse.

“I said three words,” Michelle said, referring to her muttering “I hate photos” in reaction to OC Life pulling out the camera just 10 minutes prior to the end of the challenge, for which she paid a fine in penance.

“I actually didn't think I'd do it; not talk all day,” Michelle said, seeming genuinely surprised. “But hey, here I am. I said three words and it's your bloody fault!”

From donations given by passing customers and others submitted online, Michelle exceeded her $1,000 target, raising $1,182 on the day.

While it was all a bit of fun and helped raise money for a worthy charity, Michelle does suspect there may have been another motivation behind her coworkers issuing this challenge.

“I think it was everybody just wanting me to shut up for six hours!” she laughed. “But it is a good cause and not many people know about it, really.”

It’s not too late to donate to Michelle’s fundraiser, go to:
https://www.shutupformnd.org.au/search?q=michelle%20baker