The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has been hailed as a “transformative moment in care” for everyone affected by the disease as it is officially opened.
The centre at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds was the dream of the late rugby league star Rob Burrow and his consultant Dr Agam Jung and is the first purpose-built centre dedicated entirely to MND care, research, education and holistic support in the UK.
The centre, which opens on Monday, has been made possible thanks to a £6.8m fundraising campaign, led by Leeds Hospitals Charity and supported by Burrow’s friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Kevin Sinfield.
More than 17,000 donors have contributed so far to the centre and patients, their families, clinical specialists and the wider MND community have all been involved in its design.
The building work has been completed less than 18 months after Burrow died in June 2024.
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Kevin Sinfield described the moment of crossing The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon finish line with the former professional rugby league player as ‘really, really special’
Dr Jung, who is consultant neurologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and director of the centre, said it is born from Burrow’s determination to create a place that treats patients as people, not conditions.
He said: “It has been five years since the germination of the idea to build this centre – a legacy of Rob’s strength, his family’s support, and the compassion of an entire community.
“I’m so grateful to so many people who have worked together to make this dream a reality.
“I was very pleased when Rob fully embraced the Leeds MND Service ethos of ‘Living in the Now’.
“He wanted to leave a legacy for people to be able to do so, and this has spread across the MND community.
“All of us who work in this incredible new centre will focus on providing the very best care and community for families and patients to do just that.”
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John Innes sang a special performance of Nessun Dorma to pay tribute to former Leeds player Burrow ahead of the Rhinos’ match against Wakefield Trinity at Headingley
Chief executive of Leeds Hospitals Charity, Esther Wakeman, said: “When we launched the fundraising appeal with Dr Jung and the Burrow family in September 2021, we could have never imagined the outpouring of support it would receive, from right across the country.
“In just three years, we were able to reach the £6.8m target.
“We would like to say a special thanks to Kevin Sinfield for his heroic fundraising, going above and beyond in honour of his friendship with Rob, and he goes again this year with his latest challenge.
“He has inspired so many people.”
Sally Hughes, director of services and partnerships at the MND Association said the centre “marks a transformative moment in care for people with MND in Leeds and across West Yorkshire”.
She said: “This purpose-built facility, inspired by our late patron, will provide a supportive and compassionate environment for everyone affected by MND – for the person diagnosed and their family too which is so important when facing such a life-changing disease.”
Burrow died at the age of 41 after a four-and-a-half-year battle with MND.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the MND centre went ahead on the day his death was announced, with his family saying he “would be looking down and smiling”.