“Prisoner of My Own Body”: Rugby Legend Makes a Heartbreaking Confession on His Health Condition Leaving the World Emotional With His Courage

A documentary (Rob Burrow: Living with MND), which will release this fall on October 18, at 7 pm, on BBC Two, will show Rugby League legend Rob Burrow’s struggles against Motor Neurone Disease (MND) intimately.

Diagnosed at 40, Rob, and his family’s steadfast determination against the severe trauma of fighting a two-year life expectancy comes to light in the upcoming documentary.

Rob Burrow speaks about his experience fighting MND

In an interview, Rob is seen speaking about his experience with MND as he states, “I’m a prisoner in my own body. I think like you but my mind doesn’t work right. I can’t move my body.” 

MND affects over 5000 people in the UK, but only a few, such as the late Stephen Hawking, who passed away at the age of 76, had the nerve to fight till the very end. The disease causes paralysis as the nerves which take signals from the brain to the muscles cease to function.

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Athletes like Doddy Weir and Ed Slater have been past victims of the illness. Rob’s ex-Leeds Rhinos teammate, Kevin Sinfield, also features in the film. He has raised GBP 5 million for the cause of the development of medical treatment for the illness. 

Love and support from family

Lindsey, his wife’s love and support, as she watched after her husband and their three children, Macy, Maya, and Jackson, are shown in the documentary. Her support to Rob as he vowed to fight a two-year deadline on his life has become a testament to their true love.

The Physio, along with Rob’s parents Geoff, and Irene, are also a part of the film. They have been the athlete’s constant support around the clock. The dad-of-three was shown in the documentary’s trailer being carried to a bed in a pool by them.

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The documentary will focus on multiple aspects of Rob’s life. A few scenes will concentrate on how he still has a sense of humor. In one of the scenes, he tells his mother, “She has a gob on her,” and grins when he watches his kids compete in school sporting events. With awareness of the MND becoming more relevant in contemporary times, the documentary might manage to achieve a benchmark in telling tales of love and determination.