by When Rob Burrow and his wife Lindsey first met as teenagers, they dreamed of growing old together.
However, their shared journey was cut short, with Leeds Rhinos announcing on Sunday that Burrow had died aged 41 after a battle with motor neurone disease (MND). Diagnosed with MND in late 2019, two years after retiring from rugby league, Burrow has devoted his remaining time to raising awareness and funds for research into the relentless condition.
His wife Lindsey, an NHS physiotherapist, stood by him as his main carer during his struggle. Rob, who defied medical odds by living with MND for five years, admitted he couldn’t have carried on without her support”, reports the Mirror.
READ MORE: Police release statement as young man killed in horror crash on Greater Manchester street – and two arrested
Rob, who defied doctors’ expectations and lived with the disease for five years, previously admitted he couldn’t go on without her, and in a BBC documentary, Lindsey revealed he had one request her husband after he died. He urged her to ‘find someone else’ after he died, but the full-time carer, whom he met at 15, refused to do so.
During the documentary, Lindsey explained: “He always says, get someone else. You’re young. But there’s never going to be anyone else. No one’s going to take Rob’s place.
Overcome with emotion, she said: “I like to plan. But it’s very difficult because Rob doesn’t like to talk about the future.”
“It’s very difficult because you don’t want to interfere with him but I want to know what Rob wants and what he wants and so we had to have those difficult conversations. And I know what Rob wants it but I try not to think about the end because I can’t imagine a world without Rob.”
Rob and Lindsey met when they were both 15 and have continued to support each other through life’s milestones. Lindsey used to dance with her older sister, and Rob got her number through their mutual friends.
The mum-of-three explained: “There was no one else I was going to marry.
“I knew from the beginning. He treated me like a princess. It was love at first sight. It may be a cliché but it was true for me.”
Rob said: “She was my childhood sweetheart. I love her more every day.”
When Rob was first told he had MND in December 2019, aged 37, his first instinct was to see if his wife Lindsey was OK. “MND is not the worst thing in the world – it’s the worst thing that happens to poor children. I don’t want to portray myself as a hero, because any man wants to take pain from his wife and his children and give it to himself,” he said in 2020 when his documentary, Rob Burrow: My Year With MND, was broadcast on the BBC.
“I couldn’t begin to imagine what was going through his head, but he was telling me to pull myself together, not the other way around,” wrote Lindsey in the Mail after Rob’s diagnosis.
“Rob made me realize that we had a stark choice: we could waste the time he had left at home on all the things he would miss when he was gone, or we could happy memories as possible.”
The next challenge they faced was to tell the children the news of their father’s illness, but Rob remembered a potentially distressing speech with humor. “Me and Lindsey have always said we want to be honest to make sure our kids trust us. So we told them the next day,” he shared with the Mirror.
“We sat them down and said, ‘We have something to tell you. Daddy is not very well, but there are a lot of very good people taking care of him’. And Maya said, ‘Why are you tell us this boring!
Rob admitted he struggled to come to terms with his prognosis, but meeting Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir, who has been battling MND for more than five years, gave him a fresh perspective on how to face life’s challenges with funny.
“Meeting Doddie changed everything. I saw how happy and jokey he was, how he took the mic out of everyone around him. And I thought, ‘I want to be my own version of that’, ” said Rob. “So when I got home, me and my wife Lindsey decided to have a no-cry policy at home. Because when I see Lindsey upset, I get upset. And neither of us want the kids to be through that. together.”
The couple pledged their undying love to each other nearly two decades ago, and Lindsey has kept that promise for the past few years. Rob expressed his gratitude, saying: “I couldn’t have asked for better help than my beautiful wife Lindsey. I know when you get married you say you’ll be there in sickness and in health. I didn’t think that she signed up to take care of me so soon.
After being awarded an MBE, Rob wrote a book and opened his doors to documentary filmmakers, winning a National Television Award. He also completed the Leeds Marathon, with his friend Kevin helping him across the finish line.
“People now know what MND is,” Lindsey said. “It’s because people don’t have to explain anymore. And it’s about giving hope to families who don’t have a few. You’re given grim statistics, we want to bring change, more funding and research.”
Rob’s ‘no tears policy’ reflected the couple’s efforts to maintain a normal life for their children. He shared: “I’m in awe of Lindsey every day. It can be a very dark and lonely place at times but Lindsey always makes us feel like we’re carrying on as normal as we can manage. She’s stronger than any other rugby hero I’ve ever played alongside and I’m lucky to have her.”
