Wife of Scots rugby hero Doddie Weir describes him as 'inspirational force of nature'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The wife of Scotland rugby hero Doddie Weir, who battled motor neurone disease for six years before his death, told how he had been “an inspirational force of nature”.

Kathy said the 6ft 6in sportsman was as brave off the field as he was on it, raising £8 million for MND research. She said: “His unending energy and drive and his strength of character powered him through his rugby and business careers and, we believe, enabled him to fight the effects of MND for so many years. “Doddie put the same energy and even more love and fun into our lives together – he was a true family man.

It is difficult to put into words how much we will miss him.“MND took so much from Doddie but never his spirit and determination.

He battled MND so bravely and, while his own battle may be over, his fight continues through his foundation until a cure is found for all those with this devastating disease.“Doddie was an inspirational force of nature.”The 52-year-old, capped 61 times for his country and with a personality to match his huge height, set about raising awareness of the disease through his My Name’5 Doddie foundation.Despite being told he would be unable to walk within a year of his diagnosis, Doddie defied doctors for four years before the muscle-wasting condition took the use of his arms and legs completely.Dedicating the last five years of his life to raising awareness of, and money for, the condition, he became one of the world’s leading MND campaigners.His sense of humour, tartan suits and his ability to connect with people meant that he made huge strides in the battle for better treatment and understanding of the illness.In 2019 he was awarded an OBE for services to rugby, MND research and to the Borders community, where he lived