Community & Business
21 April, 2026
Passionate mum up for global award
RAVENSHOE’s Nicola Baker has been named a finalist in this year’s Women Changing The World Awards for her years of dedicated work trying to find a cure for the rare Moyamoya Disease, with winners set to be announced this Thursday.
Nicola founded Moyamoya Australia in 2019 after having spent years in the dark when her 11-month-old (at the time) son, Jed, had a stroke in her arms.
Nicola said when Jed was first diagnosed and began treatment, she had no one to talk to and no one who truly understood what they were going through.
“That sense of isolation was heartbreaking, and I never wanted another family to feel that same loneliness,” she said.
“This work is so important because Moyamoya Disease affects just one in every 100,000 people. It’s an incredibly rare condition with long delays in diagnosis and treatment.
“Moyamoya Australia is the only support network and not-for-profit in Australia and the Asia Pacific dedicated to helping patients and their families facing this insidious disease. There is simply nothing else available in these regions.”
She said her life goal was to uncover the genetic key to why Moyamoya Disease occurs.
“Once that key is found, the medical community will be better equipped to diagnose and treat the disease faster – giving families hope, clarity, and peace of mind,” Nicola said.
“I have even written the headline I dream of seeing one day: ‘Tablelands mum helps find the cause of a rare disease’.”
Nicola said she was proud of her achievements to date. In the last year, she received a $100,000 grant that has already begun transforming what’s possible for her organisation.
“Part of this incredible funding has gone toward establishing the first-ever genetic database for Moyamoya Disease at Macquarie University Neurosciences – a dream that is now becoming reality,” she said.
Nicola took home the gold for the Women Changing The World – Asia Pacific Awards in November last year, and these national awards are a natural progression.
The awards celebrate and recognise women achieving outstanding success in areas such as sustainability, humanitarian work, leadership, advocacy, tech, product development, education, health and innovation.
This year’s winners will be announced at a ceremony in Paris this Thursday.
