A blue mural on a wall close to Headingley stadium in Leeds bears the words of Rob Burrow: “In a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream.”
The former Leeds Rhinos rugby league scrum-half died on Sunday, five years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
On Monday morning, the first spades went into the ground to build a specialist centre in his name after he dedicated the end of his life to raising millions to help others with the disease.
In Leeds, there has been an outpouring of adoration and grief for Burrow, 41, who loved the city as much as it loved him.
His family said that although he was naturally camera-shy, he had raised millions for charity after deciding to go public about his illness to help raise awareness of the disease.
A groundbreaking ceremony at Seacroft hospital in Leeds was attended by his parents, Geoff and Irene Burrow, and his sisters Joanne Hartshorn and Claire Burnett, as well his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate and close friend Kevin Sinfield.
Burrow had spearheaded a £6.8m charity appeal for Leeds Hospitals Charity, which provided him with care, to build the first specialist centre for those with MND living in and around the West Yorkshire city. Since Burrow’s death was announced on Sunday evening, the appeal has received about 1,000 donations.
He is survived by his wife, Lindsey, his son, Jackson, and daughters Maya and Macy. They were with him when he died, Geoff Burrow said, as were his parents and sisters.
The groundbreaking ceremony had been organised before Burrow’s death, but went ahead with his blessing, his family said.
“We spoke to Rob and said: do you want to go ahead today?” Hartshorn said. “And it was an absolute yes, that’s what Rob would have wanted.”
Fighting back tears, his family said they had channelled Burrow’s own bravery to give them the strength to attend the ceremony just hours after his death.
“We’re doing that right now, we’re being brave, we’re being here, we’re flying the flag, but he’ll be looking down and hopefully he’ll be proud,” Hartshorn added.
“Last night we were wondering how on earth we were going to be able to do that, but the outpouring of love and everybody’s support has been unbelievable,” she said.
“We’ve come for Lindsey and the girls, and our Jackson, because that’s what Rob would have wanted,” Irene Burrow said. “The sooner they get this built the better.”
“He didn’t really like publicity, believe it or not,” Geoff added, “but he did it, and he wants us to keep doing it to get that cure.”
“I wish we’d have got it before he passed, but we will get it for him, and all the poor people and families suffering with MND,” he added.
Ian Flatt, 58, from Leeds was diagnosed with MND in March 2019, a few months before Burrow, and receives treatment at Seacroft hospital. He was also at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“To know that this going to happen, and to know it’s going to happen quickly,” he said. “Today of all days to have that spade in the ground, it’s just so symbolic of the hope and the real sense of hope that we’ve all got now.”
“I think Rob has shown us all how to live in these circumstances,” he added. “We can still be ourselves, we can still have our dreams and hopes, it’s just changed the landscape, changed the narrative over these last four years.”
At Headingley stadium, the home of Leeds Rhinos, fans have been leaving tributes; blue-and-yellow scarves and shirts, cuddly rhino toys, and candles, amid a sea of flowers.
“The rugby league and MND community will never be able to thank you enough for your contribution,” one handwritten note read, “you will be dearly missed by so many”.
“I had the privilege of seeing him play the game for many years,” Leeds Rhinos fan Howard Newton, 56, said. “He was such a great player and a guy that has inspired so many.”
“He was such a great ambassador for the city of Leeds,” he added. “Whenever you met him he always had a smile, even after he was diagnosed with MND.”
“He was one of my favourite players,” another fan, Ben Rowley, 24, said. “I think he’s done a really amazing job, he was positive and smiling right through until the end.
“It’s comforting that lots of people have turned out today.”
