Association supports Gloucester Rugby player Ed Slater

On Thursday 21 July Gloucester Rugby Club announced that their lock, 33-year-old Ed Slater, had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease and was retiring from premiership rugby with immediate effect.

The MND Association were aware of Ed’s diagnosis, and have been in direct contact, offering support to both him and his family.

Sally Light, Chief Executive of the MND Association, said:

“Our sympathies go out to Ed, his family and friends as they start to process this diagnosis. Six people are diagnosed with MND every day, and the MND Association is here to help them and their loved ones. We provide emotional and practical support, fund research, loan equipment, provide care information, give financial grants and campaign for positive change. For Ed in particular, being diagnosed at such a young age, and with a young family, this must be especially heart-breaking, and our information for children and young people has been specially designed to help families talk about MND. I want to thank Ed for bravely sharing his diagnosis and I hope his announcement encourages other people to get in touch with the MND Association and seek our support”.

Since Ed’s announcement there has been a huge amount of support shown for him and his family, with thousands of pounds being donated to a JustGiving page set up by Gloucester Rugby. Many famous faces from across the sporting world and beyond have also sent messages of support on social media, including England Rugby, Olympian Greg Rutherford and Good Morning Britain presenter & MND Association patron Charlotte Hawkins.

Ed’s announcement has also generated questions about whether there are any links between sport, head injuries and MND. There have been a number of studies undertaken into the area but there currently isn’t enough evidence to pinpoint whether specific aspects of contact sport participation or wider factors related to athleticism are directly linked to MND – more research is needed. More information can be found in this statement by Dr Nick Cole, our Head of Research.

The MND Association is the biggest UK charity funder of research into motor neurone disease. As of 31 May 2022, our funding commitment to our research grants portfolio is approximately £16.2 million, which consists of 88 grants. Find out more about MND research by following @mndresearch on Twitter.