SCOTTISH rugby legend Doddie Weir has told how he had to turn to the internet after being given a "death sentence" diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
The former Scotland international has hit out over the lack of progress in finding a cure and has called on the NHS to invest more resources in research.
Weir, who learned he had been diagnosed with the disease in 2016, said that care services have helped him deal with the symptoms of the terminal disease, which causes sufferers to slowly lose function in their muscles.
But he said he had grown frustrated with efforts to develop a cure or new medicine to combat the progress of MND through the body, saying that it has been 25 years since a new drug was released.
Doddie Weir won 61 caps for Scotland
He said: "When you've got told you have got MND, that's your death sentence because there's nothing out there to help and give you a chance.
"There's not even any pathways. When you're told you've got MND, you go home and you go and Google on the computer of how to try and rectify your issue on how to stay alive.
"It's a bit like you've got a broken arm and you're sent home to fix it yourself but with MND it's a much more serious condition because it's a terminal condition and no-one's actually beaten MND to date, and that's my annoyance that the powers that be have done nothing over the last 25 years plus to bring any extra sort of drugs or help to the table."
He added: "So there is no platform or pathway that helps. So for example - swimming, does it help? Does exercise help? Every patient has to look at their self cure."
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Weir, began his professional rugby career at Melrose RFC before going on to play for Scotland, earning 61 caps.
The 48-year-old went public with his diagnosis in 2017, and set up the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation to raise money for research into MND and to provide grants to sufferers to make their lives easier.
So far it has raised more than £4 million and helped a number of people with MND around Scotland adopt their homes or purchase specialised equipment.
During an interview with Kaye Adams on BBC Radio Scotland, he said he first became aware of a problem when he caught his hand in a door on his farm and it failed to recover properly.
MND is a complex condition which affects people differently and progresses at different rates. Weir said that he is living with "slow, progressive" MND and that he had already lived longer than the average survival rate for sufferers, which is three years.
Doddie Weir, last year
The former rugby player said he was "very fortunate" to be able to see the work being done behind the scenes by scientists studying the condition, but feels that more investment is needed to deliver a breakthrough.
He said: "There is no help but the care package continues. It's horrific what happens to people with MND so the care is there but the cure is not.
"You're told you've got MND - there's your care nurse - cheerio. And I don't think that's acceptable in today's environment."
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He added: "Need the help of NHS and the government to try and make a difference and try to see if we can get even one drug. Even one drug would be brilliant.
"So people who are diagnosed with MND have a chance because there is an option, because at the moment there's no option. We're in a bit of trouble."
However, the father-of-three believes there is still hope for himself and those with his condition. He said: "That's the only drug we've got. We've got to keep partying and living and enjoying our lives."
"Ever since day one it's never been a case of 'why me', it's been a case of 'let's make a difference'.
READ MORE: Rugby legend Doddie Weir to be given an honorary degree
"That's been my fight and my drive - to help myself and everyone else who's got MND. We'll keep fighting.
He added"Its been a fantastic journey that I've been able to spend with friends and family. [While it's been] bad news me having MND, a lot of lovely people are doing a lot of lovely things."
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