Hong Kong Sevens: Doddie Weir talks motor neurone disease diagnosis, his calling and charity work

Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir had a conversation with the man upstairs after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease two and a half years ago.

The progressive disease, which involves the degeneration of motor neurons and wasting of muscles, has no cure, and no viable drug treatment.

Weir,who had watched close friends and family members pass away for various reasons in the past few years, got frank with God.

“He said, ‘All right, so we need someone to sort this thing and rubbish out. And if you sort it and do something about it, you can stay. If not, you’re coming up to see me.’ And that is my attitude and the reason I think of this as a calling.”

Doctors said Weir, 48, had a maximum of three years to live, and while he has visible issues with his hands and arms, tackling a flight of stairs at the Grand Hyatt in Wan Chai was a cakewalk for the hulking Scot who has become a hero in his fight against MND.

Cathay Pacific’s director of finance and a friend of Weir, Martin Murray, held a charity dinner for the MyName’5 Doddie Foundation, which raises funds to aid research into MND, ahead of this weekend’s Cathay Pacific/Hong Kong Sevens.The Greatest Rugby Dinner Ever, held at the Hyatt on Wednesday, sold out weeks in advance and raised a staggering HK$5 million.

Weir, who earned 61 caps for Scotland and represented the British & Irish Lions on their successful tour to South Africa in 1997, has raised millions of dollars while doing regular media appearances to bring awareness to the cause. There is also the annual Doddie Weir Cup, a rugby union match held each year between Scotland and Wales. The former lock said he feels anew, like he’s switched positions on the pitch.

“First time in my rugby career I feel like a back,” he said with a laugh. “They take all the accolades from the forwards in winning, so for the last 16 months I’m a back in the game of rugby.”

Weir said MND is not only a rare disease, but an odd one as well. There is no pain associated with the wasting of his muscles, rather an issue in his brain and its ability to send messages throughout the body.

Weir said after his diagnosis, a complicated endeavour with multiple procedures, his doctor could not offer much advice for him in terms of mitigating symptoms, and nothing on an eventual cure.

“That is the frustrating part. People go to the computer and they try to find things they think will help. Unfortunately, not many do at the moment and a lot of them spend a lot of money because they don’t have any other options.”

MND usually affects people who are 60 or older, however it can strike at any age. There are about 2.6 new cases per 100,000 people in women per year, according to a study done in the United Kingdom. The rates for men are about 54 per cent higher. There is no known cause of MND, and as the disease gets progressively worse, most people become confined to a wheelchair and require round-the-clock care.

Weir, who is still relatively mobile, and loves a snappy tartan suit, said one of the toughest parts of the disease has nothing to do with the physical symptoms.

“To help someone is easy, you can help someone cross the street just like that. But to be helped and ask to be helped is quite tricky, I still want to be independent but I’ve had to learn how to ask for help.”

Regardless, the diagnosis has yet to deter the Scot’s lust for life, and the traditional Scottish way.

“Ah, I still enjoy a drink or two, the only difference now is I have to drink with two hands instead of one.”