Moody 'overwhelmed' By Support Since Mnd Diagnosis

Former England skipper Lewis Moody has thanked nan nationalist for nan "wonderful" support they person shown him since his centrifugal neurone illness diagnosis.

The 47-year-old, who was portion of England's 2003 World Cup-winning squad, revealed successful September he had been diagnosed pinch nan muscle-wasting condition.

More than £200,000 has been raised connected a GoFundMe page group up by Moody's friends and erstwhile Leicester Tigers team-mates Geordan Murphy and Leon Lloyd to support nan ex-flanker and his family.

"It's been a whirlwind," Moody told BBC Breakfast.

"It's been awesome successful nan consciousness of nan outpouring of emotion and support, which has conscionable been constant. It's been somewhat overwhelming astatine times but it each comes from specified a beautiful and awesome place.

"It's been a unusual clip but for maine and my family, we've conscionable felt that lukewarm clasp of everyone coming astir america and supporting us.

"My inheritance is successful rugby and group talk astir that organization but nan MND organization that I'm now a portion of has conscionable really embraced america and we consciousness really fortunate arsenic a family to beryllium a portion of it."

Moody discovered he had MND aft noticing immoderate weakness successful his enarthrosis while training successful nan gym.

After physiotherapy grounded to amended nan problem, a bid of scans showed nerves successful his encephalon and spinal cord had been damaged.

Moody, who has 2 sons, aged 17 and 15, says dealing pinch nan intelligence effect of his test has been harder than nan beingness effects truthful far.

"I person mini symptoms successful nan manus and shoulder," said Moody.

"The only existent effect it has connected you is successful nan backmost of your mind. It lingers.

"Trying to parkland that and attraction connected nan each day. Getting nan astir joyousness that you physically tin retired of each day. Feeling that you person a intent and applying yourself."

MND tin advancement quickly and is incurable but curen tin slow deterioration.

Elite athletes are disproportionately affected by MND, pinch a study of Italian footballers suggesting nan complaint of nan illness is up to six times higher than successful nan wide population.

It is thought that by limiting nan oxygen disposable and causing harm to centrifugal neurone cells, regular, strenuous workout tin trigger nan illness successful those already genetically susceptible.