Rugby league and Motor Neurone Disease have sadly become linked through the heroic fight that former Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow is undergoing with the disease.
Diagnosed in December of 2020, Burrow took to BBC News on a mission to help raise awareness and funds for the neurological condition, that is currently incurable.
Backed by his army of rugby league supporters, not least his best mate Kevin Sinfield, the pair alongside the late great Doddie Weir have adopted the stance that ‘MND is curable, it’s just underfunded’.
As such that has seen mammoth fundraising efforts from Sinfield in particular, who has gone above and beyond in his efforts and helped to raise over £7 million for Motor Neurone Disease research.
Just this year the Leeds marathon was renamed in Rob’s honour as the ‘Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon’, with Sinfield and Burrow competing in it and creating a beautiful moment in which Kev lifted his former teammate over the finishing line.
Despite the brilliant fundraising and heightened awareness around the condition more still needs to be done and Rob has now taken to social media to call on fans to help raise yet more awareness with the simple click of a button.
Part of the process of raising awareness has seen Rob and wife Lindsey open the doors of their family home to the cameras to allow an insight into what life with MND looks like.
One of those brilliant documentaries, ‘Rob Burrow: Living with MND’, is now up for a National Television Award and with just a click of a button you can vote and help the documentary win the much deserved award, but also help keep the conversation around MND going.
Burrow took to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) asking for support in the vote.
Only 1 week to go until the National Television Awards. Thank you to everyone who has already voted. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for… please vote for my documentary in the Authored Documentary category https://t.co/OROnZCA7Uq
— Rob Burrow CBE (@Rob7Burrow) August 29, 2023
That has now been backed up by MP and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper who has reposted Rob’s initial post.
Please vote! Rob & Lindsey Burrow have been nominated for a National Television Award for their inspirational & moving documentary. Please vote before 5 Sept to support the incredible with they are doing to support families living with MND @Rob7Burrow @burrow_geoff @mndassoc https://t.co/xMrKJayxow
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) August 29, 2023
The National Television Awards are set to be broadcast on the evening of the 5th September, just under one week away, with the votes closing at 12pm midday on that date.
Rob Burrow: Living with MND is nominated for the award of best authored documentary and you can support Rob, his family and the wider MND community by voting here.
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