Hong Kong Sevens: Doddie Weir talks motor neurone disease diagnosis, his calling and charity work
- Former Scotland star was diagnosed with rare disease almost three years ago
- Since then he’s been a crusader and fundraiser for research, with a dinner in Hong Kong adding another HK$5 million
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.