After Lewis Moody revealed the heartbreaking news he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, the father of the late Rob Burrow has now reached out to him.
Geoff Burrow, the father of the late Rob Burrow, has sent a showing of support to Lewis Moody after the England rugby legend revealed his motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis. Moody, 47, made his heart-breaking revelation in an emotional interview.
Moody is the latest former rugby star to be diagnosed with the degenerative muscle-wasting condition, which has already taken the lives of rugby stars Doddie Weir and Burrow. The latter battled the condition for five years before he passed away at the age of 41 years old in June last year.
Moody became extremely emotional when he opened up about the concerns he has in the future. After that news was revealed, Geoff sent him a message of support.
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Sharing a link with his followers on X to a fundraiser for the star and his family, Geoff wrote: “I’m heartbroken to learn about Lewis’s diagnosis. He has always inspired so many. Let’s come together to support him and his family during this tough time. Every bit helps.”
Geoff also included a link to a fundraising page, which is aiming to raise around £130,000 for Moody and his family. The bio of the GoFundMe Page adds: “As a measure of the man, Lewis has already found it within himself to focus on staying positive, living life and dealing with the changes he will experience in time as they come.
“But, please, we can help. We have created this GoFundMe page to raise funds for the needs Lewis and Annie will have following his diagnosis, and the associated causes that they choose to support once they have taken stock of where best to channel their efforts.
“We know many people and organisations across rugby, sport and beyond will want to express their good wishes and support for Lewis and the fight against MND. We thought it important to provide a space to do that here.”
With his former rugby league team-mate Kevin Sinfield, Rob Burrow raised millions for charity while also spreading awareness of the condition. Before his passing, Burrow – and Sinfield – were both handed a CBE for their charitable endeavours and awareness raising of the condition.
They were surprised by Prince William at Headingley Stadium, where they both played during their time with Leeds Rhinos. Moody has, meanwhile, opened up about his diagnosis in an emotional interview with the BBC.
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.”
Moody won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, playing a massive role for the Red Roses alongside the likes of Johnny Wilkinson, Matt Dawson, Jason Robinson and Martin Johnson. He made 71 appearances for England over the course of 10 years.
Domestically, Moody also experienced plenty of success, winning the Premiership title with Leicester, while also lifting the European Cup twice. He later retired with Bath.