MND stands for motor neurone disease. It is what killed Professor Stephen Hawking and it is what is killing Rob Burrow who, in spite of his short stature, was a tigerish rugby league player.
He played for England and Great Britain but he spent his entire club career with Leeds RLFC. He is only forty years old but his body and indeed his life are ebbing away because of MND. He can't talk without technical assistance and he is wheelchair bound, requiring hoists for bathing and for getting in and out of bed. He remains in his own home with the support of his angelic wife Lindsey and their three children.
One of Rob's teammates at Leeds was the legendary Kevin Sinfield who captained both his club and his country and remains the highest scorer ever in Superleague history. They were always close friends.
Two years ago, realising Rob's dilemma and better understanding what MND does to its victims, Kevin Sinfield was determined to raise a significant amount of money for Rob and various MND charities. He set out to run seven marathons in seven days, planning to raise £77,777 - seven being Rob Burrow's shirt number. In the event, Kevin raised over £2 million!
Currently, Kevin Sinfield is in the middle of another physically challenging attempt to raise yet more funds for his old mate and the national battle against MND. This time the target is £777,777 but already he has raised £647,724.30. His aim is to run seven ultra-marathons in a row from Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to The Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester - where the Rugby League World Cup Final between Australia and Samoa will kick off this coming Saturday.
Kevin Sinfield's admirable charity running and its worthy cause have inspired Shirley and I to donate before and tonight we donated again. It is the least we can do. If you would like to donate too - go here. I am not sure how this might work out with visitors from other lands with different currencies.
We have a well known former football player here with MND and it has been a very slow progression, but he can no longer speak. I learnt last weekend a neighbour and good friend of my brother has MND, and wow, his has progressed so fast. There are all kinds of bad ways to die, but MND seems pretty awful on the scale. Well done Kevin Sinfield.
ReplyDeleteMND is so cruel. You are trapped inside your ever weakening body but the brilliant Stephen Hawking lived to the age of 76. MND did not cause his intelligence to deteriorate.
DeleteI remember reading someplace that the people who end up with MND, or ALS, are the nicest people. It sucks. Kevin is doing a good thing and I imagine it helps him to do something for his friend when there is no cure.
ReplyDeleteKevin Sinfield is such a hero. Instead of feeling sorry for his old teammate, he has got off his arse and run miles for MND charities and his disappearing friend.
DeletePoor Kevin, and poor his wife and children. It must be terrible to know the end is inevitable (well, we all know in theory that our own end is inevitable) and that the road leading there is steadily downhill. I witnessed this in the 1990s with a friend dieing of AIDS at the age of 32, now with my Dad and more recently with our friend who suffered not only COPD but had also had close encounters with cancer several times.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope scientists will find a way to treat such illnesses better or even heal them.
You misunderstood Meike - Rob is the victim of MND and Kevin is the friend and teammate who has raised tons of money for MND charities. To me Kevin is a genuine national hero.
DeleteSorry about that - I was reading this with my first mug of coffee only half finished. Kevin is indeed a hero.
DeleteI like reading success stories like this where the amount raised is far ahead of expectations. I just wish I could afford to donate, but I can't.
ReplyDeleteI just checked. Kevin Sinfield has now reached 92% of his target.
DeleteI first learned of MND as a 28 year old. I was working in a care home doing two, twelve hour consecutive nights. We used to check patients every two hours during the night. I went in the darkened room where the man slept. I was visibly shocked at what I saw. The machines, the noises, his wasted body.
ReplyDeleteI learned that he was a technical drawer and had designed parts of fighter jets.
I went with another carer to get him up in the morning and we chatted whilst washing and dressing him. He used a computer to speak. He was very articulate and humorous. He died not long after.
He was 52 years old and husband was Peter Blakemore.
This was 35 years ago.
It had and continues to have a profound effect on me.
May he rest in peace.
Thank you for sharing this Christina. People rarely consider the emotional weights that carers might carry for years.
DeleteSorry, bloomin autocorrect. It should say, " his name" not "husband"
DeleteMND is a heart breaking and cruel disease.
ReplyDeleteLife can be like a lottery can't it? Rob Burrow got one of the booby prizes.
DeleteSo sad.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say this but Kevin Sinfield is a Lancashire lad - born and raised in Oldham. Nevertheless he is a real hero. A true champion.
DeleteFor some reason MND hits the sporty, active people.
ReplyDeleteRaising funds is a great way to use grief
Much better than crying into your pillow.
DeleteThat certainly is a true friend.
ReplyDeleteEd is right- a true friend. This is a hard subject for me. I lost a friend to a different MND.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cruel disease. How wonderful that Rob has such a wonderful friend.
ReplyDelete