South African rugby legend and scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen‚ who died in Johannesburg on Monday at the age of 45‚ had fought gallantly against motor neuron disease (MND) for the past six years.
The disease causes the degeneration of cells that control muscle movements.
When he was diagnosed with a form of MND in 2011‚ at the age of 40‚ Van der Westhuizen was given two and a half years to live‚ yet he held on with the unwavering determination he showed on the field while playing for the Springboks‚ the Bulls and his beloved Blue Bulls.
Throughout his debilitating illness‚ which left him confined to a wheelchair and using a computer to communicate‚ Van der Westhuizen raised awareness about the disease and formed the charitable J9 Foundation to support his efforts.
“I had a choice to either stay at home and die or continue to live my life‚” he told The Telegraph in 2014.
“I have a platform and now I am using it to help with awareness of MND. They are going to tell them they have two to five years to live and that’s it – but you live as long as you want‚ as long as you are positive. They told me 24 months and I am now on 50.”
He had recently responded to reports in January this year that he was on an oxygen machine “for his survival”‚ telling Huisgenoot that the machine helped him breathe and sleep better.
“I’m doing well under the circumstances‚” he told the magazine. “I pray for everyone who is sick because with Jesus there can be miracles. While we’re still breathing‚ God has a plan for us.”
Star player
South Africans have paid tribute to a genius rugby player who represented his country 89 times during a decade-long career starting in 1993.
Born and raised in Pretoria‚ Van der Westhuizen was part of the South African team that emerged victorious from the 1995 Rugby World Cup victory in front of former president Nelson Mandela.
A respected leader‚ he went on to captain South Africa at the 1999 World Cup and was the most-capped player in Springbok history by the time of his international retirement in 2003.
In 2007‚ he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame – run by a charitable trust – and seven years later became a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame when the trust’s structure merged with the International Rugby Board’s own hall of fame.
The highlights of his career as scrumhalf included World Cup appearances in 1995‚ 1999 and 2003; the 1998 Tri-Nations; and Currie Cup trophies in 1998 and 2002.
After his retirement from the sport and before he fell ill‚ he enjoyed a highly public profile in South Africa while working as a television pundit‚ though he became the target of celebrity magazines that reported on his extramarital liaisons and alleged drug use. He later admitted to some of those claims.
Van der Westhuizen lived in Johannesburg and is survived by his at-times estranged wife‚ singer Amor Vittone‚ a son and a daughter.
Tiso Black Star Group Sport