The first symptom Lewis Moody noticed in the gym before devastating MND diagnosis
The former England rugby captain has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) at the age of 47
Lewis Moody has revealed the first symptom of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) he noticed in the gym before being officially diagnosed with the life-changing condition.
The former England rugby captain went public with his diagnosis on Monday, taking to social media to share a heartbreaking update with his followers. In a statement, he admitted the news had come as a "huge shock" to both him and his loved ones, but vowed to "continue to embrace life" while living with the disease.
MND is a neurological condition that affects motor nerves within the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle weakness, stiffness and paralysis as it progresses. Consequently, it can impact someone's ablility to walk, speak, swallow and breathe.
The illness is typically life-limiting, claiming the lives of one-third of sufferers within a year, and over half within two years of being diagnosed, according to the MND Association. While treatment can slow the process, there is currently no cure.
Early symptoms of the condition include weakness and muscle spasms, along with difficulties with walking and gripping objects and it was shoulder weakness that Moody - who won 71 caps for England and lifted the Rugby World Cup in 2003 -first experienced while training in the gym.
In an emotional interview on BBC Breakfast, Moody explained how he initially had physiotherapy to try and address the issue, only for the problem to persist as a series of scans revealed the heartbreaking truth. As doctors explained to him, MND had damaged the nerves in his brain and spinal cord.
"I try and keep fit, I try and train a couple of times a week still," said Moody, 47, who sat alongside his wife Annie during the interview. "Otherwise, I get grumpy and Annie gets annoyed with me. I have to make sure I'm letting out the physical frustrations and emotions.
"A couple of months ago, I noticed that I was getting some shoulder weakness. I went and saw our physio and nothing really changed over the course of six to eight weeks. At which point, he referred me to a brilliant shoulder specialist in Bath called Guy Evans.
"I had an MRI, neck scan and all that type of stuff. Very quickly, when the scans came back, it became clear that it wasn't anything to do with the neck, despite all the years of throwing myself into contact on the rugby pitch.
"He then sent me straight to the neurologist and off the back of the MRI, he actually had a phone call with me where I sensed he was preparing me for the worst, which was quite difficult".
Despite the diagnosis turning Moody and his family's world upside down, the former British and Irish Lions flanker confessed that he "feels like nothing's wrong" with his symptoms currently "very minor".
Providing an update on his current condition, he said: "You're given this diagnosis of MND and we're rightly quite emotional about it, but it's so strange because I feel like nothing's wrong.
"I don't feel ill. I don't feel unwell. My symptoms are very minor. I have a bit of muscle wasting in the hand and the shoulder. I'm still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible."
On facing the full implications of the condition - which has tragically claimed the lives of rugby league star Rob Burrow and former Scotland and Lions star Doddie Weir in recent years - Moody admitted there was "a reluctance" to think about how his future will look.
"There's something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute," he said. "It's not that I don't understand where it's going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now."