Two sporting stars who suffer from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) travelled to Downing Street to call on the government to step up its funding for research into the disease.
Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow and ex-Bradford City defender Stephen Darby were part of a group which headed to the capital to urge ministers to consider a £50m cash boost into the fight against MND over the next half-decade.
Former Liverpool trainee Darby was diagnosed with the disease in September 2018, while rugby league star Burrow received the news in December the following year.
They were both part of a group which delivered a letter explaining that a cure for the disease is close to being found, provided there is a united approach to action and investment.
Darby said: "After all of the hard work that has gone into the campaign it felt massively important to be here representing every family that has gone through MND.
"It'd mean everything to me to get the investment needed. UK researchers are doing amazing things with little funding and this boost would help to speed things up and give families the hope they need."
The petition has gained in excess of 100,000 signatures in just three weeks, and has been debated in parliament.
Burrow said in his new book he feels the coronavirus lockdown accelerated his decline.
The 38-year-old is confined to a wheelchair, and he is only able to communicate with others through technology which translates his eye movements.
But he has been given hope by a new drug trial in the US, which has yielded improved life expectancy in 44% of cases.
Burrow wants to be able to help wife Lindsey, who cares for him full-time, to raised their three children and spend as much time with them as possible.
"This drug is my hope that I see my kids grow up," he told the Sunday Mirror.
"Without this drug it will be a bleak outcome. I worry about leaving Lindsey to raise our kids alone – it is the last thing I want to do.
"I want to see my trio all reach 18 and so I live in hope. I am a realist but without hope there is nothing."
