Lewis Moody, the former England rugby union captain, has disclosed his motor neuron disease (MND) diagnosis in a recent interview with BBC.
The 2003 World Cup winner talked about his struggle against the shocking diagnosis, saying, “the news was incredibly hard to process and a huge shock to me and my family.”
Taking to social media, he wrote, “I'm writing to share some tough news. I have recently been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Motor Neurone Disease (MND).”
"I am being well supported by my family, friends and medical professionals and I'm truly grateful to those who, in their time, helped progress research to support others, like me, living with this disease,” he added.
While talking to BBC, the 47-year-old said, ““There’s something about looking at the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute. It’s not that I don’t understand where it’s going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look at the future in the face for now.”
In addition to Lewis Moody, other rugby players, including Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir have lost their lives due to motor neuron disease.
Rugby has initiated a high-profile fundraising campaign to deal with this fatal disease.
The ex-England rugby coach had come across this diagnosis after feeling some weakness in his shoulder during gym sessions.
The proper diagnosis through the series of scans showed damaged nerves in his brain and spinal cord due to MND.
While showing positive attitude towards his disease, Moody said, “You’re given this diagnosis of MND and we’re rightly quite emotional about it, but it’s so strange because I feel like nothing’s wrong. I don’t feel ill. I don’t feel unwell.”
