In the final days before his heartbreaking passing, Rob Burrow "came back from the dead", his wife Lindsey has revealed. The Rugby League legend passed away on June 2, 2024, at the age of 41, following an almost five-year battle with motor neurone disease. During that time, Rob campaigned to raise awareness of the disease and helped to raise more than £20million for MND charities and research. His own diagnosis came just two years after he called time on his decorated 17-year rugby career, during which he played for Leeds Rhinos and secured eight Super League titles. The nation was left in mourning when his passing was announced, with emotional tributes flooding in from family, friends and his adoring fans.
However, just days before his death, on May 30, Rob's heart stopped beating, prompting doctors to advise the family it was time to say goodbye. But Rob, being the fighter that he was, made a brief yet miraculous recovery, giving the family more precious time moments. In a moving interview with The Sun, his wife Lindsey, who is set to release her new memoir - 'Take Care: A Memoir Of Love, Family & Never Giving Up' - opened up about family life and the final days before her husband passed away. She openly shared with the publication: "As I sat in the corner of Rob’s hospital room with Jackson, watching Ghostbusters together on a little DVD player, my husband suddenly started to struggle to breathe.
"Doctors and nurses rushed in as his oxygen levels and heart rate took a dive. We expected to lose him, and a consultant advised us to say goodbye. "I couldn’t quite believe it. Except, being Rob Burrow, he rallies again, giving us time to make special memories. Two sets of blood tests had been assessed that the doctors said showed Rob had come through something called Lazarus syndrome.". His wife struggled to grasp the concept initially, but the implications were nothing short of miraculous. She said: "I didn’t understand it at first but, then, it sounded miraculous. It occurs when blood circulation returns spontaneously after the heart stops beating. The blood tests told us that, just after lunchtime, Rob had basically come back from the dead.".
Rob's family, including his wife, daughters Macy and Maya, and son Jackson, were blessed with three additional days with him following this remarkable turn of events before he passed away on June 2. His former teammate Kevin Sinfield, deeply affected by Burrow's passing, had been actively raising MND awareness during his friend's treatment. Lindsey shared how Kevin "had been on edge since Rob had been taken into hospital" and noted his visit to the hospital just "hours after" their scare. Kevin, known for his respectful and earnest demeanour, struck the perfect chord, light-heartedly ribbing Rob about his resilience and the moustache forming under his oxygen mask, Lindsey added.
