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.
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.
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.
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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