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COURIER OPINION: Doddie Weir – a great Scot whose greatest legacy may be an MND breakthrough

Scots rugby legend Doddie Weir has died after battling motor neurone disease (MND) for five years. Image: David Gibson/Fotosport/Shutterstock.
Scots rugby legend Doddie Weir has died after battling motor neurone disease (MND) for five years. Image: David Gibson/Fotosport/Shutterstock.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a terrible condition which, to date, has no cure. Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir knew that when he was diagnosed with it in 2017.

Despite the terrible personal blow he was determined that his journey with MND would be approached in the same manner he approached all other aspects of his life.

And so he tackled it with positivity, laughter, love and incredible spirit.

photo shows Doddie Weir laughing next to an Oor Wullie statute.
Laughter: the hallmark of Doddie Weir’s MND campaigning. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DCT Media.

In time that resolve morphed into the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which in his lifetime raised millions of pounds for research into the cruel condition which robbed him of so much. Not least the power and physical presence which made him a stand-out on the rugby pitch for club and country.

Doddie’s death aged 52 at the weekend sparked an outpouring of grief and sadness that mere mortals could never hope to muster. And our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Kathy and his family.

photo shows Doddie Weir, with wife Kathy and their sons Hamish, Ben and Angus, after he received his OBE.
A proud moment as Doddie Weir, with wife Kathy and their sons Hamish, Ben and Angus, receives his OBE from Queen Elizabeth II. Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

His sporting legacy is assured, as is his place in the pantheon of great Scottish characters.

But his greatest legacy may still be to come in the form of improved treatments and possibly even a cure for MND.

photo shows Doddie Weir in a wheelchair on the pitch at Murrayfied, being applauded by players and the crowd.
Doddie Weir was giving a standing ovation at Murrayfield earlier this month as he marked five years since the launch of his MND charity. Image: Ross Parker / SNS Group.

The fundraising which he began and did so much, even in the depths of his illness, to sustain will carry on in his name. And so will the research.

And hopefully the breakthrough will come one day.

Doddie believed it, and who would doubt him?


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