Mr Smith was in Invercargill when he was first told by his neurologist it was suspected he might have MND.
He returned home to research the disease and the information he found wasn’t pleasing.
"I ... thought to myself, ‘Bugger, that doesn’t sound too good’."
At the time, he thought it was more than bad luck but whatever it was, he assured his wife they would deal with it.
"It was another chapter in my life and a part of my spiritual — not religious — journey."
He wasn’t angry or upset, and he only asked once, "Why me?".
Mr Smith spent most of his adult life as a soldier, as an infantryman and in the intelligence corps, and travelled to England, Bougainville and Afghanistan.
Four years after the diagnosis, the disease has affected "nearly everything" in his life.
"While I can still shave, clean my teeth and toilet myself and eat normal food — everything else has pretty much changed."
"For me the biggest challenge is my voice getting weaker and having trouble making myself understood."
For his daughter, Kim Timperley, seeing her father "waste away" was heartbreaking.
That was why she had entered the annual "Walk 2 D’Feet MND" event in Dunedin for the past three years.
And this year she took that a step further by being one of the organisers of the walk. Raising awareness about MND was important, as not everyone understood what it was or what it meant, she said.
It caused the muscles in the body to gradually stop working and there was no cure.Mr Smith said he could not be more proud of Ms Timperley.
"She has been very supportive ever since I was diagnosed. She takes on these challenges with utter commitment and tenacity."
Funds raised would go a long way to help combat the disease, he said.
