England Rugby World Cup winner Lewis Moody has been diagnosed with MND
Lewis Moody has disclosed the initial sign of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) he spotted whilst exercising before receiving his official diagnosis of the devastating condition.
The former England rugby captain made his diagnosis public today (Monday, October 6), turning to social media to deliver a devastating announcement to his supporters. In his statement, he confessed the news had been a “huge shock” to both himself and his family, but pledged to “continue to embrace life” whilst battling the illness.
MND is a neurological disorder that targets motor nerves in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness, stiffness and paralysis as it advances. As a result, it can affect a person’s capacity to walk, talk, swallow and breathe.
The disease is generally life-limiting, taking the lives of one-third of patients within a year, and more than half within two years of diagnosis, according to the MND Association. Whilst treatment can decelerate the progression, there is presently no cure available.
Initial signs of the disorder include weakness and muscle spasms, alongside problems with walking and gripping items and it was shoulder weakness that Moody – who earned 71 caps for England and claimed the Rugby World Cup in 2003 – initially noticed whilst working out at the gym. In a heartfelt interview on BBC Breakfast, Moody detailed how he initially underwent physiotherapy to tackle the issue, only for the problem to continue as a series of scans unveiled the devastating reality, reports the Mirror.
Doctors explained that MND had affected the nerves in his brain and spinal cord. Sat alongside his wife Annie, Moody, 47, said in the interview: “I try and keep fit, I try and train a couple of times a week still. Otherwise, I get grumpy and Annie gets annoyed with me. I have to make sure I’m letting out the physical frustrations and emotions.”
He continued: “A couple of months ago, I noticed that I was getting some shoulder weakness. I went and saw our physio and nothing really changed over the course of six to eight weeks. At which point, he referred me to a brilliant shoulder specialist in Bath called Guy Evans. I had an MRI, neck scan and all that type of stuff. Very quickly, when the scans came back, it became clear that it wasn’t anything to do with the neck, despite all the years of throwing myself into contact on the rugby pitch.”
Moody added: “He then sent me straight to the neurologist and off the back of the MRI, he actually had a phone call with me where I sensed he was preparing me for the worst, which was quite difficult”.
Despite the diagnosis turning Moody and his family’s world upside down, the former British and Irish Lions flanker admitted that he “feels like nothing’s wrong” with his symptoms currently “very minor”. Updating on his current health status, he 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. My symptoms are very minor. I have a bit of muscle wasting in the hand and the shoulder. I’m still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible.”
When confronted with the full implications of the condition – which has tragically claimed the lives of rugby league star Rob Burrow and former Scotland and Lions star Doddie Weir in recent years – Moody confessed there was “a reluctance” to contemplate how his future will unfold.
He said: “There’s something about looking 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 the future in the face for now.”
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