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In Australia, former national team rugby player Nathan Charles said that he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 37. The athlete spoke about this in an interview with Stan Sport, ABC News Australia reports.
Charles said that he had experienced health problems for around eight months, but doctors were unable to determine the cause for a long time. According to him, following numerous examinations and consultations, his condition continued to worsen, and the diagnosis was made within the past few weeks.
The rugby player noted that after being informed by doctors, he first of all thought about his family. He also said that the illness is already significantly affecting his daily life: Charles uses mobility aids and has difficulty carrying out routine household tasks, including putting on shoes.
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Charles added that every person with such a diagnosis experiences a different course of the disease. According to him, he knows that there is no cure for motor neurone disease and that a person’s condition worsens over time.
Nathan Charles played four Test matches for Australia in 2014 and ended his professional career in 2018. He played as a hooker for Western Force and Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby, and also had brief spells in England and France.
His sporting career was unusual because he had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects the lungs and can affect the pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestines. Before Charles made his national team debut, then-Australia coach Ewen McKenzie said that the athlete had “defied science and logic”.
Source: UA
