Trailblazer Doddie Weir's MND legacy 'will live on

Rugby fable Doddie Weir's bequest arsenic a champion for radical with centrifugal neurone illness volition unrecorded connected aft his death, his household and friends person said.

Weir died connected Saturday aged 52, six years aft being diagnosed with MND.

The erstwhile Scotland planetary raised much than £8m done his My Name'5 Doddie instauration pursuing his diagnosis successful 2016.

Weir's ex-teammate Scott Hastings described him arsenic a "trailblazer" who pushed probe forward.

He told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show: "He has brought the illness to the store window. He has rattled cages, disrupted, challenged, cajoled.

"He has encouraged each these researchers to enactment unneurotic to find a cure for MND.

"Without uncertainty helium was a trailblazer and helium leaves an unthinkable bequest down him."

Weir, capped 61 times betwixt 1990 and 2000, was fixed an OBE successful 2019 for services to rugby, to MND probe and to the Borders community.

He is survived by his woman Kathy and sons Hamish, Angus and Ben.

Friend and erstwhile Scotland prima Hastings said that "behind this facade of this jovial, loveable character" Weir was a superior antheral astatine heart.

"He was a magical quality being. Just specified a loveable bloke," helium said. "He was a ray of airy successful a country - immoderate room.

"But was besides the figurehead that brought centrifugal neurone illness to the wider public.

"Not lone that, helium helped truthful galore different radical who were near successful this unthinkable concern of, having been diagnosed with centrifugal neurone disease, not knowing what the illness entailed.

"That is undoubtedly going to beryllium his legacy."

Jill Douglas, main enforcement of My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said Weir's imaginativeness of a satellite escaped of MND "remains astatine the bosom of our strategy".

She added: "He inspired america each time with his positivity and vigor and was afloat committed to the enactment of the instauration helium launched with his adjacent friends successful November 2017.

"My Name'5 Doddie Foundation continues to radiance a airy connected MND and the request to question meaningful treatments and, 1 day, a cure for this devastating disease."