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On the first day of the rugby Six Nations, amidst all the joy and tension ..... please spare a thought for the great Joost van der Westhuizen.
One of the greatest scrum halves of all time, and a Springbok World Cup winner, he was struck down with motor neurone disease.
At 45, he has just been admitted to hospital in critical condition.
Keep fighting Joost
Good luck to him it's a bastard of a disease. In the same week that MND campaigner Gordon Aikman was taken by the same cruel condition. He campaigned not only for MND sufferers but Care workers, Carers and health professionals too.Quote:
Originally Posted by X
Happiness is a Warm scrum
No doubt His Amazing World Cup performance in 1995 Takes the Cake. A couple of friends in mind I think was back sometime around the World Trade Center bombing was talking about this guy doing a lot of Coke and hanging around with prostitutes or something I can't remember the story. Does anybody remember that?Quote:
Originally Posted by BeanzGood luck to him it's a bastard of a disease. In the same week that MND campaigner Gordon Aikman was taken by the same cruel condition. He campaigned not only for MND sufferers but Care workers, Carers and health professionals too.Quote:
Originally Posted by X
Van Der Westhuisen was a true great. He changed the way Scrum Halves played the game. Skilful but so powerful. I've seen documentaries recently of him and to see him the way he is is nothing short of depressingly sad. My heart goes out to the poor fellah.
Sad to say but knowing nothing about the Rugby world but a bit about X threads..I just spent 5 minutes reading that trying to 'find' the joke :-X
Really hope the best for Joost. His illness sounds somewhat similar to the local ex Saints player Steve Gleason?
Nasty thing none one or two which have had it really a shit thing.
Terribly sad. But being brutally honest , a 45 year old guy who was such a physical specimen in his prime, shouldn't have to live the way he was. Hopefully he's at peace now and in a better place.
I don't know the man but I always cringe when I hear about those diseases and those afflicted, we take our health for granted and that kind of thing can come out of the blue.