Welsh rugby legend Geoff Wheel dies aged 73 after battle with Motor Neurone disease
WELSH rugby legend Geoff Wheel has died aged 73 after a battle with Motor Neurone disease.
Wheel was an iconic figure of the 1970s and early 1980s and won 32 caps for his country.
In a touching message to one of their great former players, Swansea RFC stated that Wheel passed away in the early hours of Boxing Day.
The statement claimed that Wheel's motor neurone disease (MND) had "not prevented him attending matches" until this season.
Motor neurone disease affects specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and causes everyday activities to become increasingly difficult or completely impossible.
The majority of those diagnosed with the disease are given a three-year life expectancy starting from when they first notice the symptoms.
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MND slowly robs patients of the ability to walk, talk and eat, although every sufferer is different.
A full statement from Swansea RFC read: "Geoff was a player and man loved and respected by all who knew him.
"A fearsome competitor on the field of play, Geoff was a mild mannered, shy and thoughtful person in private,committed to the club he served from 1970 to 1983, twice as captain, as a player and for many years on the All Whites Former Players Association (AWFPA) committee, being at the time of his passing the President of the AWFPA."
The statement added: "Geoff’s two seasons as captain of Swansea marked a hugely successful period for the club. In 1979-80 they won the Western Mail Championship, Sunday Telegraph Anglo-Welsh Championship, Daily Mail Anglo-Welsh Championship, Sunday Telegraph Team of the Season and were WRU National Sevens winners.
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"In the following season under Geoff’s captaincy Swansea retained the Sunday Telegraph title and were also winners of the Whitbread Merit Table.
"Typically, Geoff remained the modest man he always had been and the whole team were the beneficiaries of this approach."
With Wales, Wheel once went 15 games unbeaten between January 1975 and March 1978.
The Welsh legend scooped up four Triple Crowns and two Grand Slams during his stellar career.
St Thomas Church also paid tribute to Wheel after his passing.
A statement on their Facebook page read: "To most of Wales he was a rugby legend, but to us he was our friend, organist, treasurer, trustee, food bank volunteer and boys brigade tuck shop salesman.
"He was the most humble man, always putting those around him first. He loved to serve the church in any way he could, from his musical talents to counting the kids on and off the bus on every trip.
"From giving free tuck away to the kids who didn’t bring money, to collecting the food from the foodbank.
"A fiercely loyal, talented and committed friend and church member. Totally committed too…and so proud to be…an Eastside boy.
"We can only imagine the joy in his eyes as he stands face to face with the saviour he has worshipped every day for such a long time in his life.
"Our prayers are with Christine and all the family."
Users on social media also weighed in with their own thoughts after Wheel's death.
One wrote: "Gutted. We have lost a true gentleman. He was a friend and colleague over a number of decades. You will be missed Geoffrey Arthur Derek Wheel aka The Legend."
"Such a lovely generous humble man.R.I.P. Geoff you will be missed by so many," said a second.
Another said: "God bless, a truly amazing man. Thoughts and prayers with Christine and his family."
Symptoms of MND
Muscle weakness and stiff joints are common symptoms of motor neurone disease.
Other potential indicators of MND, which affects around 5,000 people in the UK, include a loss of muscle mass, or wasting, and movement and mobility problems.
Stiffness is also common, as are cramps, twitches and spasms.
And many people will experience speech and communication issues, breathlessness and changes in saliva.
MND is caused by a problem with cells in the brain and nerves called motor neurones.
These cells gradually stop working over time, but it's not known why this happens, the NHS says.
While motor neurone disease isn’t usually painful, symptoms can be extremely debilitating.
It is usually diagnosed in people over the age of 50, and men are at more risk than women, but it's important to remember that many people outside of this are affected.
Some have a life expectancy of just a few months, while other forms of the disease don't affect lifespan.
In many cases, signs of the disease will begin gradually. Typically, this will occur on one side of the body only, before progressively worsening.
Muscle weakness and muscle spasms are common, while swallowing and breathing may also become a difficult task.
Heartbreakingly, motor neurone disease may leave the diagnosed unable to move or communicate property with stiff joints.
Even though there has been research into the cause of motor neurone disease, it is difficult to identify a particular trigger for the disease.
Some five to ten per cent of all people with MND have the inherited or genetic form of the disease, while genes may still play a small part in other cases.
Wheel is not the only sporting figure to have been affected by MND.
Inspirational England rugby league star Rob Burrow died in June this year after battling motor neurone disease for four years.
The Leeds Rhinos legend was diagnosed with MND in 2019, just two years after retiring from a 17-season league career and his diagnosis has helped raise £15m for charity.
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Burrows met former Scotland rugby union player and fellow MND sufferer Doddie Weir, who revealed in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with MND at just 46 years old.
Fernando Ricksen was an ex-Rangers player who was diagnosed in motor neurone disease in 2013 and tragically died after a six-year battle on September 18, 2019.
