Burrow a sporting great and inspirational MND campaigner

A champion connected and disconnected nan field, nan determination, courageousness and humility of Rob Burrow guaranteed a bequest that stretches measurement beyond nan athletics he loved.

At 5ft 5in, Burrow was among nan smallest men successful rugby league, but he became 1 of its biggest names.

Father, family man, friend, competitor, campaigner. His decease aged 41 comes astir 5 years aft he was diagnosed pinch centrifugal neurone disease.

When Burrow learned of his illness, he told his woman Lindsey: "Thank God it's maine and not nan kids."

His stoic resilience helped to toggle shape nan floor plan of this condition. His moving communicative was brought to millions by nan BBC Breakfast squad who became friends.

Decorated for his talents, Burrow played 492 times for Leeds Rhinos, won 8 Grand Finals, 3 World Club Challenges and 2 Challenge Cups, arsenic good arsenic 15 England and 5 Great Britain caps.

With his flimsy framework and diminutive stature, Burrow ever stood retired among nan hulks of nan modern rugby convention game, from his inferior days correct done to nan elite.

What he lacked successful size, he made up for successful devastating speed, evasiveness and skill, and he honed his tackling method to alteration him to compensate erstwhile it came to felling acold bigger opponents.

One infinitesimal which champion summed up his qualities was his effort successful Leeds' 2011 Grand Final triumph against St Helens, erstwhile having stepped disconnected nan chair astatine hooker, he ducked done nan statement and successful afloat formation stepped his measurement past world full-back Paul Wellens to people a singular solo effort.

There was besides nan emotion of his last crippled successful 2017, erstwhile he and long-time friend Danny McGuire - 2 members of Leeds' oft-referred 'golden generation' - bowed retired together pinch Grand Final occurrence astatine Old Trafford against Burrow's hometown nine Castleford.

On Burrow's status that year, Leeds caput coach Brian McDermott said: "Rob will beryllium remembered arsenic 1 of nan greats of our game, not conscionable successful nan Super League era but passim nan history of nan sport."

He initially continued to activity successful rugby convention aft hanging up nan boots, helping to create nan adjacent procreation astatine Headingley pinch nan nine he loved.

It was his resoluteness and affirmative outlook aft his profession ended that brought this unsocial characteristic to a wider audience.

Burrow revealed he had been diagnosed pinch MND successful December of 2019. There is nary cure.

He would gradually suffer his expertise to talk, to move, and to respire easily.

"It's heartbreaking," advisor neurologist Dr Agam Jung told a BBC documentary connected Burrow.

"You whitethorn not beryllium capable to speak, you whitethorn not beryllium capable to swallow, you whitethorn not beryllium capable to respire independently, you person weakness successful your arms and legs. This leads to dependency and a reduced life span."

Burrow joined his puerility sweetheart Lindsey successful 2006 and nan mates had 3 children together.

"He ever says, 'find personification else, you're still young'," Lindsey said successful nan documentary, discussing nan imaginable of a early without her husband. "There will ne'er beryllium anyone else. No-one tin ever return Rob's place."

His parents, Geoff and Irene, would thief to provender Burrow.

Alongside looking aft children Macy, Maya and Jackson and moving arsenic a physio successful nan NHS, Lindsey was efficaciously his superior carer - her emotion sparkling done during nan difficult days since his diagnosis.

"Yes, it is sad, but it is simply a communicative afloat of love, dream and optimism," she said.

Burrow mislaid weight and could not footwear a shot pinch his boy aliases alteration a nappy, but he retained his tone contempt losing his independence.

A small smile. A defiant thumbs-up. "My mind is truthful beardown and positive," he would opportunity via a reside nickname instrumentality which utilized recorded samples of his voice.

He joined others including erstwhile rugby national subordinate Doddie Weir and footballer Stephen Darby successful raising consciousness and was brutally honorable astir nan effects of nan condition.

"I'm a captive successful my ain body," Burrow said. "The lights are on, but no-one's home. I deliberation for illustration you, but my mind doesn't activity right. I can't move my body."

Burrow, together pinch family and friends, wanted to raise costs and consciousness astir a illness which affects astir 5,000 group successful nan UK.

"It's for illustration a crippled successful a way. We are present to effort to hit MND and nan only measurement we are going to triumph is by corporate effort," said Weir, who died successful November 2022.

Despite his illness, Burrow remained relentlessly positive.

"Whenever you're astir Rob, there's love, there's laughter, there's jokes, usually astatine my disbursal aliases immoderate different large bloke," said erstwhile team-mate Barrie McDermott.

"What he lacked successful size, he much than made up for successful his wit and sharpness."

Lindsey would thief him into a swimming pool. It was nan only measurement he could locomotion without suffering debilitating symptom successful his joints.

Burrow would joke: "I cognize erstwhile you get joined you say, 'in sickness and successful health'. I did not deliberation she signed up to look aft maine truthful soon."

An entreaty was launched to raise £5m to build a Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease successful Leeds.

One of nan salient fundraisers was Kevin Sinfield, Leeds skipper for nan bulk of Burrow's playing career. They met erstwhile Burrow was 12 and a heartwarming relationship was formed.

When Sinfield ran 7 marathons successful 7 days successful December 2020, location was a poignant infinitesimal erstwhile he spied Burrow and family. The heavy enslaved was clear.

"To spot what he's had to spell done has been really difficult. Rob was a champion connected nan section and an unthinkable friend," said Sinfield.

As a child, Burrow was told he was excessively mini to make it arsenic a player. It turned retired his effect was bigger than anyone could person imagined.

"I person a illness pinch nary cure but I person excessively galore reasons to live," he said of his life-limiting illness. "I americium not giving successful until my past breath."

In December 2019, he was told he whitethorn person a twelvemonth to live, 2 astatine most. He defied each nan expectations.