Lewis Moody has opened up on his ongoing battle with motor neurone disease.
The former England captain, who revealed his diagnosis last year, admitted the reality of the disease hit hard during a recent charity bike ride.
“It was really hard,” Moody told Sky Sports. “For the first time ever, I had to get off. It was horrible, actually.”
Moody said former England teammates Martin Johnson and Martin Corry were there when he reached his limit.
“They were like, ‘No, you’ve got to stop. Just get off. You don’t need to continue. Just get off.’
“And, yeah, that was lovely.”
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The 2003 World Cup winner also paid tribute to the close friends who rallied around him after his diagnosis.
“That small group of people who have been my absolute rocks,” he said.
Moody revealed former teammate Leon Lloyd even slept in his car overnight just to be there for him the next morning after hearing the news.
The ex-flanker is now using AI technology to build a voice bank for the future as the disease progresses.
“The only thing I was scared of was the sort of non-communicative skills,” Moody admitted.
“Actually knowing that there is something, or that there is a better way of making effective communication easy, and that’s been really sort of warming.”
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Despite the brutal diagnosis, Moody says he has found renewed purpose through his involvement with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
“Winning looks like I’ve got a wonderful purpose,” he said. “And now I can just get to be the most focused in this space, and it brings with it a new energy and a new purpose and a new strength.”
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
The post Moody: Former teammate slept in his car for me appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Lewis Moody has opened up on his ongoing battle with motor neurone disease.
The post Moody: Former teammate slept in his car for me appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
