In the final days before his heartbreaking passing, Rob Burrow “came back from the dead”, his wife Lindsey has revealed.
The Rugby League legend lost his battle with motor neurone disease on June 2, 2024, at the age of 41. He had been fighting for almost five years. Rob also spearheaded efforts to raise money for MND charities and research and raise more than £20 million during that time.
His own diagnosis was made two years after he abruptly retired from a distinguished 17-year career in rugby, where he played for the Leeds Rhinos and won eight Super League titles. When his passing was announced, the entire country was in mourning, with fans, family, and friends ecstatic.
However, just days before his death, on May 30, Rob’s heart stopped beating, prompting doctors to advise the family it was time to say goodbye. But Rob, being the fighter that he was, made a brief yet miraculous recovery, giving the family more precious time moments.
His wife Lindsey opened up about family life and the final days before her husband’s passing in a heartfelt interview with The Sun. Lindsey is scheduled to release her new memoir, Take Care: A Memoir of Love, Family &, Never Giving Up. She openly shared with the publication: “As I sat in the corner of Rob’s hospital room with Jackson, watching Ghostbusters together on a little DVD player, my husband suddenly started to struggle to breathe.
As his oxygen levels and heart rate dropped, doctors and nurses rushed in. We had anticipated losing him, but a consultant advised us to bid him farewell.
“I couldn’t quite believe it. Except, being Rob Burrow, he rallies again, giving us time to make special memories. According to the doctors, two sets of blood tests had been performed that indicated Rob had undergone Lazarus syndrome.
His wife struggled to grasp the concept initially, but the implications were nothing short of miraculous. She said: “I didn’t understand it at first but, then, it sounded miraculous. When the heart stops beating, the blood flow resumes naturally. The blood tests told us that, just after lunchtime, Rob had basically come back from the dead”.
Following this extraordinary turn of events, Rob’s family, which included his wife, daughters Macy and Maya, and son Jackson, had three more days with him before he passed away on June 2. His former teammate Kevin Sinfield, deeply affected by Burrow’s passing, had been actively raising MND awareness during his friend’s treatment.
Kevin “had been on edge since Rob had been taken into hospital,” according to Lindsey, who noted his hospital visit just “hours after” their scare. Kevin, known for his respectful and earnest demeanour, struck the perfect chord, light-heartedly ribbing Rob about his resilience and the moustache forming under his oxygen mask, Lindsey added.
According to legend, Kevin leant down to kiss Rob on the forehead before declaring, “I love you, pal.”
Source: Mirror
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