Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody reveals MND diagnosis
Lewis Moody, the former England captain, has confirmed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease and has confirmed that he did not yet have to worry about the full consequences of the injury that killed fellow rugby players Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow. Two weeks after discovering he had the disease, the 47-year-old, who was a member of the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning team and lifted multiple English and European titles with Leicester, talked to BBC Breakfast.
he said.Looking the future in the face and not wanting to worry about it at the moment,
Moody, who accompanied his wife Annie, says he's at easeIt's not that I don't know where it's going. We understand that. However, there is certainly a reluctance to see the future in the face for the time being.
Maybe that's shock or perhaps I do it differently, but if I have the details, it's quicker," he said.as he focuses on his immediate health, his family, and preparing for when the disease worsens.
After noticing some weakness in his shoulder while training in the gym, Moody discovered he had MND. Nerves in his brain and spinal cord had been affected by MND, which had failed to resolve the condition, and a series of scans revealed nerves in him.
he said.You're given this diagnosis of MND, and we're rightfully concerned about it, but it's so bizarre because nothing's wrong,
I don't feel ill.I don't feel sick.
I'm still capable of doing anything and everything. And, hopefully, this will go on for as long as is possible.My symptoms are very minor. In the hand and shoulder, I have a little muscle wasting.
MND can progress quickly. According to the charity MND Association, the disease kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis, as swallowing and breathing became more difficult. Treatment can only slow deterioration. It's never me that I feel sorry for,
an emotional Moody said.
and the ramifications that have for her.It's the sadness of having to tell my mother as a young child
They are two brilliant boys, and that was really sad,When Moody spoke about his sons - 17-year-old Dylan and 15-year old Ethan - the painful news, he was overcome with emotion.
Moody said.We sat on the couch in tears, Ethan and Dylan wrapped up in each other, and then the dog came over and started licking the tears off our faces, which was very sweet.
There is no cure, and that is why you must be so keen on just accepting and enjoying everything right now," he said. We've been extremely fortunate that the only real decision I made when I resigned from playing was to spend as much time with the kids as possible, as Annie said. We don't get those years back.The primary focus, according to Moody, was that the message was still on the current situation.
Moody was turned down for an invitation to play in the inaugural745 Gamelast fall due to a knee injury. The fundraising cross-code match, which brings together league and union players, was the brainchild of Burrow and Ed Slater, the former Leicester and Gloucester second row who also lives with the disease. Burrow died in June 2024, while Slater is now in a wheelchair and struggles to talk without the assistance of a computer program. Moody finds it difficult to accept that he is now a participant in the match's cause rather than a supporter.
he said.It's daunting because I love being active and enjoying life, whether it's on the rugby field or watching the kids, whatever it is,
I've been slightly selfish in a way that I've never been able to reach out to anyone.There are a lot of questions regarding what we should do with the future. It's still so new, I found out two weeks ago. To Ed,
I'm not sure if they're interested, but I'm sure [be] will be.But there will be a time when I can. And I would like to as well.
MND has disproportionately affected elite athletes, according to a report by Italian footballers, the incidence of the disease is up to six times higher than in the general population. Regular, strenuous exercise, according to experts, may cause the disease in those that are already genetically vulnerable. During his playing career, Moody, who earned 71 England caps and toured with the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand in 2005, was dubbed 'Mad Dog' in honor of his ardent, tenacious approach to the game. He suffered with a stress fractured leg for a time with Leicester and once sparked a training-ground brawl with teammate and friend Martin Johnson, who was ecstatic to abandon a tackle pad and dive into tackles. After coming back as a replacement in the Rugby World Cup final victory over Australia in 2003, he claimed a ball at the back of the line-out in the game's crucial passage of play, giving scrum-half Matt Dawson to snipe and Jonny Wilkinson to kick the match-winning drop-goal. Moody has already told Johnson, the England captain, and a few other former England coworkers about his illness. Geordan Murphy and Leon Lloyd, who Moody played alongside Moody at Leicester, have established a fundraising page to help him and his families. However, some of Moody's former coworkers will be sharing his news with the rest of the world. We'll need to lean on their help at a time,
he said,
Rugby is such a great community.but at the moment, having that feeling of love and acknowledging that people are present is all that matters.
Even if it came to an end, I've loved every part of it and accepted all of it, and I'm planning to do it with amazing people.I told the children the other day, I've had an amazing life.
To have done it for so long with the teams with whom I worked was a pleasure. And I know they will want to help in whatever way they can, and I look forward to those conversations.It's one of the greatest honors to have a passion for your career.
