Lewis Moody watches son play for England days after heartbreaking MND announcement
Lewis Moody announced this week that he had MND in an emotional interview but the Rugby World Cup winner is straight back into normal life as he watched his son run out for England
England's World Cup-winner Lewis Moody watched his son play for his country, just days after revealing his motor neurone disease diagnosis to the world. The former England captain delivered the heartbreaking news in an interview less than a week ago.
MND took the lives of fellow rugby stars Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow, and Moody has admitted he is not yet ready to face the full implications of his diagnosis. The 47-year-old first felt some weakness in his shoulder while at the gym, and eventually scans revealed nerve damage in his brain and spinal cord due to MND.
Moody was part of England's iconic 2003 World Cup-winning squad alongside the likes of Jonny Wilkinson and Martin Johnson. The father of two is now watching his son, Dylan, embark on his own international career, albeit in a different spot.
The 17-year-old signed his first professional contract earlier this year with Southampton and has since made his England bow in September. Thursday saw him return to the field once again for the Three Lions under-18s 1-0 win over France at St George's Park.
Moody Jr came off the bench for the youth side, which included Matthew Upson's son Elijah, and Emile Heskey's son Reigan. The former netted the winning goal in stoppage time.
Moody Sr took to Instagram to commend his son, a young goalkeeper, with two posts. He first wrote: "Great night watching this rather large legend." He then added another and said: "Wonderful night at St George's Park watching England U18 and this little warrior @dylanmoody.1."
The England icon has been especially open about his medical situation and claimed there is minimal discomfort and he hopes to continue with normal life for "as long as is possible" but concedes there is an element of fear attached with what the future may look like.
He said: "You're given this diagnosis of MND and we're rightly quite emotional about it, but it's so strange because I feel like nothing's wrong," he expressed. "I don't feel ill. I don't feel unwell.
"My symptoms are very minor. I have a bit of muscle wasting in the hand and the shoulder. I'm still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible.
"There's something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute," he said, discussing the full implications of his condition. "It's not that I don't understand where it's going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now."