Sports fans and well-wishers have taken to social media to express grief and support for former Leeds Rhinos and England star Rob Burrow, following a BBC documentary showing him coping with the effects of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Speaking with the aid of a computer screen connected through an eye-controlled keyboard, Burrow responded to his family, his medical aides and detailed his feelings about day-to-day life with wife Lindsey.
“I’m a prisoner in my own body. I was such a hands-on dad, you hate to see your wife doing it alone,” he said.
“I didn’t think she had signed up to look after me so soon. She’s my very own superhero.”
His wife also explained her role in looking after Burrow on a daily basis and how the family cope with his condition – and revealed her husband had asked her to find someone else after his life ends. “There was nobody else I was ever going to marry. He always tells me to find someone else but nobody will ever take his place,” she replied.
“I can’t imagine a world without Rob. I keep thinking about the children and what effect it will have on them.”
The documentary showed aspects of Burrow’s life including his meetings with doctors and physical therapy. “I find it easier to walk in the pool, my joints are stiff from the lack of use,” he said.
Displaying a sense of humour at times and his will to fight against the disease, the insight into Burrow’s lifestyle nonetheless had viewers distraught at what the family has to go through in fighting MND.
Lindsey was hailed as “extraordinary” and an “inspiration”, both for the way she helps Rob on a day-to-day basis and her strength of personality and determination, while she also insisted that while the situation was “devastating and heartbreaking”, the family remained determined to enjoy every minute they had together.
Olympian Chris McDermott led the praise for the family and urged fans to watch the documentary.
Burrow’s former teammate Kevin Sinfield also featured in the documentary, having become a regular fundraiser for MND charities through their friendship.
