Update on Joos' condition

by Adam D Mon May 23, 2011 10:53 am

From the TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER
By Brendan Gallagher

South Africa legend Joost van der Westhuizen will fight Motor Neuron disease 'if it's the last thing I do'

Springbok legend Joost van der Westhuizen has said that the first thing he thought about after recenlty being diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease was whether his insurance policies for his children were all in order.

Van der Westhuizen's stark realistic approach is symptomatic of how series the progressive disease is with no known cure although one or two individuals around the world claim to have found ways of slowing its advance.
"I'm fighting this illness with my faith. And my faith is strong," Van der Westhuizen told the Rapport newspaper in South Africa.

He said he felt his life came tumbling down when he heard the news a month ago when holidaying in Sun City over the Ester weekend with some friends, one of whom was his personal doctor Dr Henry Kelbrick who noticed symptoms of the disease during their vacation.

One of van der Westhuizen's arms was much weaker in comparison with the others and he occasionally started to slur his words badly.
Kelbrick immediately recognised the possible seriousness of the symptoms and arranged tests for Van der Westhuizen as soon as they returned.

"The first thing I did was to check if my insurance policies are in order for my kids," said Van der Westhuizen about the moment he received the chilling news. "The wind has been knocked out of my sails. I stared at the doctor in disbelief."
Van der Westhuizen said he realised something was wrong as long ago as December: "I struggled to move my hand, but I just left it. It's typical; I thought it was an old sports injury. But, as time passed my speech became impaired. When I spoke to people, they would say: 'Joost, are you drunk?'"
When Kelbrick received the results and passed them onto to Van de Westhuizen he became emotional which is when the former Springbok realised just how serious the condition was.

"After he told me I have motor neuron disease, he said that doctors didn't know how to treat it. I became a blank, I hardly remember anything from that day," says Van der Westhuizen who came out of hospital last week.

A second opinion has been sought from a Johannesburg neurologist but he has still to hear her assessment. Van der Westhuizen said he had great support from his parents and brothers: "But, I will fight this thing. Even if it's the last thing I do."

source and link to article: telegraph