Former Wallabies international vows to ‘create memories’ after being diagnosed with MND at just 37

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Former Wallabies international Nathan Charles diagnosed with MND at just 37

Former Wallabies international Nathan Charles diagnosed with MND at just 37

Former Wallabies international Nathan Charles has sadly been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) at just 37 years of age.

The former hooker revealed in an interview with ex-Wallabies lock Justin Harrison on Stan Sport that he has been dealing with “health challenges” over the past eight months and was diagnosed with MND in the past few weeks after his health declined further.

He described the news as “extremely challenging, overwhelming, and at times quite cruel”, but says he has “a lot of great people” around him.

“You’ve got to get on with it,” he added. “So that’s what I’m trying to do.”

MND is a rare, progressive condition that damages the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing muscles to weaken, stiffen, and waste away over time

The rugby community has been rocked by many MND diagnoses in recent times, with Lewis Moody, Ed Slater and others currently living with the disease, while Doddie Weir, Rob Burrow and Matt Gallagher have all died as a result.

With any serious health concerns, often a whole network of individuals are affected, and in the case of the four-cap Wallaby, it is no different.

“I thought about my mum and dad, and about my fiance Steph and my brother and sister-in-law and my little niece, because I felt as though this would impact them greater than it would me,” he said.

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“I want to start doing things for the first time”

The Sydney-born player is no stranger to life-threatening illnesses, having been born with cystic fibrosis – an inherited genetic condition that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, digestive system, and other organs.

He managed to forge out a very successful professional rugby career, but knows that there is currently no way to defeat MND.

“I know there’s no cure; your physicality, your body deteriorates, and life is cut short,” he said.

“I find it strangely, and I won’t say the word funny, but I was born with a life-threatening illness. I’ve given that a red-hot crack, and now this other thing comes on. I find it quite ironic that something else will strike me down rather than what I was dealing with my whole life.”

The interview is a hard watch, of course, but he’s not willing to let his diagnosis control his remaining time.

“My first question was, ‘How long have I got?'” he reportedly asked his doctor.

“The mindset was ‘I’m now doing things for the last time’. Instead, I really want to turn that around and flip the script a bit and say, ‘I want to start doing things for the first time’. I want to create memories.”

Charles spent many years travelling the world with rugby, from his time in Super Rugby with the Western Force and the Rebels, to stints at Gloucester, Bath and Wasps in England, and Clermont in France.

Now, he’s to decide what his next adventure will be.

“I really need to figure out what that purpose is, and I need to have purpose. Otherwise, what are you living for?”

A fundraiser has been set up in his name and has already reached $75,000 at the time of writing.

READ MORE: Ex-Springboks coach: Why Wallabies defeat is a ‘good thing’ and won’t ‘worry’ Rassie Erasmus

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