Melbourne tradie's fight to finish his dream home as he battles MND

A Melbourne father living with motor neurone disease is defying the odds in the hope that he will live to see his dream home completed.

Paul Groppi, 55, was diagnosed with MND in January 2021.

The average time of survival after diagnosis is 30 months.

"I love him to bits. He's been the best thing that ever happened to me in my life" Paul's wife Julie said.

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"[Paul's] my warrior. He's the strongest man I know."

Shortly after he received the bad news, Paul was determined to make sure his family would be provided for.

A carpenter by trade, Paul purchased a modest fixer-upper in Melbourne's outer-north and planned to do the work himself.

Sadly, the disease has moved too quickly.

Paul has lost all bodily movement, and communicates through eye-sensitive technology.

"It kills me not to be able to do anything, " Paul told A Current Affair.

"[Paul] apologises profusely, but it's not his fault. He would have had this done, no worries" Julie said.

Julie is now Paul's full-time carer.

She also takes care of the couple's children, Charlie, 12, and Ashley, 6.

With much of the family money tied up in medical bills, the Groppis have tried crowdfunding to help complete the project.

But they're holding out hope for any other support in the form of labour or materials.

Paul's older brother Roger said statistics "aren't in his favour".

"The whole process of the building is actually keeping [Paul] going," Roger said.

"All he wants to do is put a roof over the head of his kids."

MND affects more than 2000 Australian families every year.

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"Motor neurone disease is one of the degenerative conditions affecting the nervous system" Dr Susan Mathers from Calvary Bethlehem Hospital explained.

"It mainly affects the motor neurons in the brain that govern control of our muscles when we want to move.

"We see a gradual decline of these motor neurons over time. Eventually your muscles waste away".

Paul and Julie are fighting on.

"I ain't going anywhere. We're in it together" Julie said.

Paul and Julie have set up a GoFundMe page which has so far raised more than $17,000.

It can be found here

Watch the full video in the player above.