DEAN COHEN, whose father passed away from MND, says the way Joost van der Westhuizen fought the disease was his greatest achievement.
Much has been written and many a YouTube video played and re-played documenting the legend and the prodigious talent that was Van der Westhuizen.
Joost passed away on Monday from complications related to motor neuron disease (MND). This horrific disease is a neurological disorder that attacks the motor neurons or nerves that originate from the brain and spinal cord, resulting in a gradual atrophying of muscle, leading to a wasting away of the body.
MND, or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), does not discriminate where it attacks, typically leaving the patient permanently incapacitated.
One of the more devastating effects is that after robbing the patient of movement and speech, the mind is left intact. The patient becomes imprisoned in his/her own body. In truth, as with most debilitating diseases, there are two victims here, the patient and the family.
Joost was a remarkable rugby player, but I think his greatest achievement was how he scrummed down with this devastating disease, relentlessly fighting along the sidelines, with grace and sheer determination to help those suffering with ALS. His tireless efforts to highlight the plight of many a MND sufferer and the desire to educate the public about its devastating effects on patient and family culminated in the formation of the J9 Foundation.
Watching the interviews that he conducted over the past few years, it became apparent that the disease ravaged his once powerfully athletic frame, only to give him a renewed sense of purpose. He seemed to re-invent himself as a champion crusader for those not necessarily in the limelight, fighting this dreaded and fatal disease.
WATCH: Kobus Wiese interviews Joost
I feel even more strongly about the passing of this man than most, because when I watched the famous Bok victory in the 1995 World Cup final at the Ellis Park, I sat with my late father, who by then was in the advanced stages of ALS/Lou Gehrig's/MND. He was diagnosed with ALS in April of 1995 and passed away on 3 January 1996.
In my mind, a strange and poignant connection was forged between these two men who had never and would never meet. The Bok victory that day, was for me one of the most meaningful days in my life. The passing years have done little to diminish the memory and emotions that that momentous day still evoke.
TRIBUTE: Joost provided off-field inspiration
The significance and impact of that day and its galvanising effect on our new, fledgling and fragile democracy was undeniably palpable. The true impact of that day, for me, was that I got to share it with two heroes – one a much-loved and celebrated sportsman the world over and the other, my father and personal hero, fighting his own quiet battle on the sidelines.
Having been diagnosed with MND in 2011 and fighting a battle bravely borne, Joost ultimately succumbed to MND on 6 February 2017.
My condolences go out to Amor, his children, family and friends. He proved to be as much a giant off the field as he was on it.
– For more information on MND, and how you can assist or be assisted, visit www.mnda.org.za and http://joost.co.za.
Photo: You magazine
