Ed Slater is best known for his time with Gloucester Rugby as a lock for the last few years. He had been a professional since 2007 and had made his international debut in 2014 as the England team captain against the Canterbury Crusaders.
An impressive player with a bright future ahead, Slater’s sudden retirement has shocked his fans.
However, a deep and more serious reason is revealed to be the reason behind the abrupt end of his rugby career.
JustGiving: What Is Ed Slater Illness MND?
The rugby powerhouse was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) in July 2022. Due to the immediate effect of the illness, Slater amicably bid farewell to his stronghold rugby days.
MND is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles.
In such a situation, Ed will be incapable of controlling his muscles which is the most important part of his professional rugby career.
His diagnosis came after six months of testing, The Guardian reports. This Gloucester forward shared the news via his social media handle, and the scene became quite emotional and uplifting for him.
Slater’s former team, Leicester Tigers, said they were “extremely saddened” by the news. Premiership Rugby also tweeted that they would like to offer 100% support to Ed, his family, and Gloucester rugby.
Ed Slater Life Expectancy And Symptoms Explained
MND is a serious condition, and NHS Inform writes that this disease is a severely life-shortening condition for the majority.
One’s life expectancy is written as three years from the start of symptoms. However, some people may live for up to 10 years and even longer in rarer circumstances.
As a known fact, involuntary muscle and movement problems will worsen one’s life.
MND primarily affects gripping, walking, speaking, swallowing, and breathing, the main reasons for an individual’s everyday life activity.
Moreover, there is no medical cure found for MND yet but only some precautions to make the patient feel at ease in life. Like others, Slater’s symptoms normally started with muscle weakness and slurred speech.
With an experienced team backing him up, the 33-year-old has taken precautions to look after him well.
Ed Slater Donation Fund For MND Cause
Gloucester has opened a JustGiving page recently to offer their help to their former forward. The page’s funds will go for supporting Ed, his family directly, or a selected MND charity.
The page aims to raise a whopping £444,000 for Ed’s welfare and for charity purposes in the future.
People have started donating to the page already and have already collected £106,631. This page aims to reach more people for the greater cause and gain more funds.
The team is entirely committed to supporting Ed, his wife Jo, and his three children.
Gloucester has confirmed that neither the club nor the Slater family will be making any further comment at this time and kindly request that those wishes be respected.
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