Since Rob Burrow’s untimely death last month, many have written about his life and his struggle against Motor Neurone Disease. I shared a heavy sense of loss and grief as though I had lost a close friend or family member.

I never met Rob but for the last 4 years I observed the effects of MND on Rob and his wife and young children in what was, on occasions, almost intimate detail.

You can watch this amazing tribute ‘There’s only one Rob Burrow’ on the iPlayer; it is tough in parts but it reminded me that Rob was a truly extraordinary sportsman. Just 5ft 5in tall, in a sport full of giants, he was considered ‘too small’ for professional Rugby but nevertheless became one of the most successful players in the history of the sport. It was good to watch his great moments on the Rugby pitch for Leeds Rhinos and England; he was fast, quick thinking, could sidestep like nobody else and could duck and dive his way to the crucial try. MND robbed him of all of these skills, and many more. He would have been remembered as a legend of the game even if he had not had to deal with the devastating diagnosis of MND just 2 years after he retired.

I have thought about how we might react to unexpected changes in our own lives and how we might deal with adversity. Thankfully most of us will not have to deal with MND but we will all experience unexpected challenges, changes, and losses.

One way is to draw into yourself, circle the wagons, retreat to family and friends and draw up a ‘bucket list’. The opposite is to look outwards, from the security of family and friends, to acknowledge their support, to have an impact on others and make a mark on the disease. Unlike most of us, Rob chose to do the latter. He inspired others with MND; Ian Flatt, a fellow MND sufferer, has climbed 7 mountains in his powered wheelchair to raise money for the Rob Burrows Centre for MND. Ian said “Rob helped me so much - and not just me, but beyond the MND community as well. Everything he did was just beautiful”. Kevin Sinfield, Rob’s best mate and fellow Rugby player, was inspired to undertake numerous astonishing fundraising challenges but was by Rob’s side all the way especially when he carried him over the line at the Rob Burrow Marathon in Leeds, after pushing him for 26 miles in his wheelchair.

Rob and Kev finishing the Rob Burrow Marathon

The Rob Burrow MND Centre in Leeds brings hope to sufferers and maybe the glimmer of a cure for the disease in the future. It is a fitting legacy for a man who fought so hard as a sportsman, father, husband and finally a victim of this cruel disease. But It is how Rob dealt with the challenges of MND that leaves a lasting impact.

So how do we handle adversity? Do we retreat into our safe circle and look inwards, or do we use the challenge of unexpected change to look outwards? I hope that Rob’s example would be one we could be inspired to follow. Rob’s legacy is not just to Rugby, or MND, or even his family and friends, but to everyone as an example of how to meet challenge and change, and to triumph over disaster. So how do we handle

If you are facing challenging times its good to talk. Don’t waste a moment.

In his last words, Rob expressed it best; "In a world full of adversity, we must still dare to dream".

Rob Burrow - over and out

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