Former Australia international rugby player Nathan Charles has revealed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 37.
The former hooker, who won four caps for the Wallabies after making his Test debut in 2014, was previously diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was just three years old, with doctors telling him he might not live past the age of 10. Now, having matched the life expectancy of someone with cystic fibrosis, he has been dealt another devastating blow after noticing a decline in his health.
What is MND?
MND is a life-limiting neurological condition which affects motor nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle weakness, stiffness and paralysis. As it progresses, it affects a person's ability to walk, talk, swallow and breathe.
While treatment can slow the progress of the disease, there is currently no cure, and it claims the lives of over half of those with the condition within two years of diagnosis. Former England captain Lewis Moody revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with the disease, while in recent years it has claimed the lives of rugby league icon Rob Burrow and former Scotland international Doddie Weir.
Emotional interview
Revealing his recent diagnosis in a Stan Sport interview with former Australia international and commentator Justin Harrison this week, an emotional Charles - who played in England with Gloucester, Baths and Wasps before retiring in 2018 - said it had been an "extremely challenging and overwhelming" time.
“For a long period there I just didn’t know what it was,” he said. “I’ve had that many tests, seen that many doctors and it just wasn’t getting any outcome, but my health just kept declining.
“Then recently, in the last few weeks, I was actually diagnosed with motor neurone disease, which has been extremely challenging and overwhelming... and at times, quite cruel.
"But I've got a lot of great people around me and it sort of is what it is, so you've got to get on with it, and that's what I'm trying to do," Charles added.
Impact on family
"I thought about my mum and dad, my fiancee, my brother and my little niece, because I felt as though this would impact them greater than it would me. That was my first thought."
Revealing the heartbreaking question he asked after receiving his diagnosis, the former Western Force and Melbourne Rebels star said: "I had a bad feeling going into that appointment and my fears were realised, and it was the people around me that I felt worse for.
"My first question was 'how long have I got?'. I only know what you see and hear, I know that every person with MND has a different journey. I know there’s no cure and your physicality, your body deteriorates and, yeah, your life cuts short."
Having already fought cystic fybrosis - which has a life expectancy of 37 - throughout his life, Charles added that he found his new diagnosis "quite ironic" as he opened up on how his mobility had already been affected.
"I was born with a life-threatening illness and I've given that a red-hot crack and this other thing comes along," he said. "I find it quite ironic that something else will strike me down rather than what I've been dealing with for my whole life.
"I'm already greatly impacted by it. I'm getting around with mobility aids, I struggle to do a lot of daily tasks, putting on shoes and socks and stuff, that is a bit of a challenge. So, it's already impacted me, but I'm going to have my ups and downs.
"At first, my mindset was I'm now doing things for the last time," Charles added. "Instead, I want to turn that around and flip the script a bit and say I want to start doing things for the first time. I want to create memories, I want to do some really cool stuff.
"I'm trying to use my story to inspire, motivate. You've still got to have purpose in life and whilst up until now it's been something else, I really need to figure out what that purpose is and I need to have purpose, otherwise what are you living for?"
