England rugby icon Lewis Moody was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in September last year and he has now opened up on his approach as he attempts to tackle the disease
Lewis Moody has opened up on his heartbreaking diagnosis(Image: Getty Images)
England icon Lewis Moody believes he is ‘lucky’ to have picked up the fight against Motor Neurone Disease. The former Leicester Tigers and Bath flanker was diagnosed with the condition last September.
Despite that devastating news, Moody, 47, has taken an optimistic viewpoint and believes he is ‘lucky’ to now get the chance to draw attention to the disease with his platform, following in the footsteps of Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow.
Speaking to Mail Onlinehe said: “I’ve always had a positive outlook on life. There is uncertainty in life for all of us. Bizarrely, the news I’ve received has given me certainty. It’s given me a clear focus on what my day-to-day priorities are. There’s no point going from day to day being gloomy or disappointed.
“It’s not that I don’t feel down from time to time. Of course, that happens – for example when I think about the things I’m going to miss with the kids. But you can’t dwell on it. We can only live in the present. I’m in a position that allows me to really embrace that.
“We’ve started looking at house modifications. If you look around, there are a s***load of steps and levels, which for wheelchair access isn’t particularly efficient.
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“I’ve banked my voice (on a tape recorder) too in case that goes. That sort of stuff is horrible to talk about, but it’s a reality and it’s better to be prepared for it than not.
“I feel really lucky in a way because loads of people are diagnosed with diseases and they don’t have a platform to do anything about it. I spent a whole life post-rugby in charity and supporting others, so why wouldn’t I do it now?”
Moody announced his diagnosis in October alongside wife Annie. Opening up on how he told his family, he has revealed that a mistaken dial let his son, Dylan, know something was wrong.
He added: “’When I got the news, I was all right about it actually. It was still a shock, but I’d prepared myself for it. It was tough for Annie. You’re told it’s the end of the world. It’s devastating. It’s awful. It’s a terrible illness. Everything was negative. It was the second referral I had in Oxford with a specialist called Martin Turner that was different.
“Once I came out of the meeting with Dr Turner, I told my mum first. The worst thing that happened was on the way, I accidentally pocket-called Dylan.
“He could hear part of the conversation, so when we got home he was aware we were going to tell him something. It was the first they were hearing of it, other than knowing I was going to the doctors. Dylan had heard of MND but Ethan had no clue what it was.
“Dylan had a very controlled reaction. There were tears. Ethan was the opposite – just raw emotion. That was the worst bit by far for me – seeing the reaction of the kids and their sadness and emotion. Since then, they’re both doing OK. But it’s tricky.”
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