‘I will never give in to this until my last breath’

ONLY NINE months ago Pontefract’s Rob Burrow made an emotional final playing appearance in front of a full house at Emerald Headingley, weeks after revealing he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
Rob Burrow and son Jackson.Rob Burrow and son Jackson.
Rob Burrow and son Jackson.

Now, one of Leeds Rhinos’ and Super League’s favourite sons, greatest talents and genuinely nicest people, is in a wheelchair.

It is difficult to relate the Rob Burrow of October 2020 with the fleet-footed athlete who, in the same month eight years ago, scored the greatest individual try ever seen in a Grand Final.

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But appearances can be deceiving and as the BBC documentary, Rob Burrow: My Year with MND, that was screened on Tuesday night on BBC2, illustrated, the determination and courage which made the former scrum-half one of the most respected figures in the game.

Television cameras followed Burrow’s story since his diagnosis was revealed last December.

The documentary was the result of that and a hugely important, highly-emotional 30 minutes of screen time.

More than once, interviewees – including Burrow’s wife Lindsey, father Geoff and former team-mate and now Rhinos’ director of rugby Kevin Sinfield – break down in tears as they contemplate what the 38-year-old, who was born and still lives in Pontefract, is going through.

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The documentary was not an easy watch and nothing is done to gloss over the horrible nature of Burrow’s illness, but it has raised awareness of what is a largely unknown condition.

MND is a terminal illness, there is no treatment - other than palliative care - and no cure.

“He is not going to be able to talk or walk, he will have his independence taken away from him,” Lindsey says of what lies ahead.

Burrow’s has lost weight and his speech and movement have already deteriorated, less than a year after he was diagnosed, but his spirit is unscarred.

“I’m good, my mind is strong and positive,” he says.

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In one of the film’s most poignant moments, Burrow - an eight-time Grand Final winner and twice man of the match at Old Trafford - insists he will not let the illness break him.

“I have too many reasons to live,” Burrow says. “I am not giving in, ‘till my last breath.”

Why is it important Burrow’s story is told?

MND is a degenerative condition affecting nerves in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscles weakening, stiffening and wasting.

The chances of any individual developing MND over a lifetime are one in 300 and the illness affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.

Yet awareness is limited.

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Burrow is better off than most, having a high profile - which has prompted a huge fundraising effort to ensure Lindsey and children are well provided for - and a large support network.

But, as Sinfield says: “What about the postman, the bricklayer or the bloke who works in a factory?”

Burrow’s profile has enabled him and those around him to “raise awareness, raise much-needed funds and get support for people who don’t have that network.”

Film of Burrow on holiday with his loved ones and celebrating his birthday are deeply moving and truly hammer home what a cruel and unfair condition MND is and why a cure must be found before more lives are wrecked.