Rugby playing dad-of-three hit by deadly motor neurone disease - the first sign was a common symptom missed a DECADE earlier

Daily Mail​

13-05-2025

A father-of-three with motor neurone disease (MND) says his symptoms started a decade ago—but he dismissed them as minor nerve damage from a sports injury.
NHS anaesthetist Andy Vaughton, 47, from Poole in Dorset, led an active, healthy lifestyle—skiing, running and playing rugby with his local club and university team.
But three years ago, he was given the devastating news he had MND, an incurable muscle condition that causes the body's nervous system to shut down.
Dr Vaughton first noticed the signs of the disease when his muscles started twitching involuntary, a common symptom which he initially ignored.
Following a serious skiing accident six years later in 2016, his symptoms escalated, and he began to experience cramps, tremors and weakness in his hands.
But he initially put this down to nerve damage from the injury.
Dr Vaughton underwent surgery in 2020, with hopes to reverse this supposed damage, but his symptoms didn't improve.
'I started noticing little things,' he said. 'I couldn't open jars as easily, I lost an arm wrestle I'd normally win. Eventually, I couldn't ignore it'.
However, it wasn't until 2021, during the height of Covid restrictions, that he was told he likely had MND.
The incurable muscle wasting condition gradually stops patients being able to move, talk and even eat.
Average life expectancy for patients varies between just two and five years, depending how fast the disease progresses.
But, four years on, Dr Vaughton will take on Leeds Marathon to show it is possible to 'live well' with MND and is determined not to let the disease define him.
'This is about showing that it's still possible to do something meaningful with the time you have,' he said.
Recalling the moment he got the news, he said: 'I could see the look on the consultant's face. He said "I'm really sorry - its motor neurone disease." I held it together until I got to the car. Then I just broke down'.
'It was utterly devastating—your whole life collapses in on itself. It affects everything—family, friends, work, the future you thought you had', he recalled.
Further tests confirmed the diagnosis, resulting in Dr Vaughton having to take a step back from work.
'There's a period where you live between two lives,' he said. 'Your old one, and the new one you never asked for. You grieve each function you lose. But gradually, you find ways to live in the present'.
He has now decided to train for the Leeds Marathon, wanting to have something to work towards whilst spending more quality time with his wife, Susie, and his sons Charlie, Jack and Sam.
Despite needing special slings to support his limbs whilst running, he plans to complete the 26.2 mile course, supported by family and friends, known as Andy's Army.
He said: 'There will be dark moments during the run—I know that. But I also know I'll have people beside me. This is about more than finishing, it's about making memories and showing others what's possible.'
Dr Vaughton's MND has progressed since his diagnosis, predominately affecting his arms and shoulders.
He can now no longer lift his arms for an extended period of time and has to take long breaks whilst running to allow his body to recover.
He said: 'I've been lucky that it's progressed slowly. But I know it won't stay that way forever.'
'There will come a time where I can't do this—so I'm doing it now, while I still can. It's painful, but it's also a privilege.
'There are so many people who'd give anything to be able to do this.'
His wife, Susie, a former GP added that whilst the diagnosis has been extremely difficult, it has also the family a lot about perspective.
'We've had to accept a very different life to the one we planned. But Andy's approach has been extraordinary. Even on the hardest days, he reminds me we're still here. We still have each other,' Susie said.
Alongside other fundraising efforts Dr Vaughton has already raised £25,000 for My Name'5 Doddie Foundation—a charity founded by former rugby legend Doddie Weir after his own MND diagnosis.
Dr Vaughton said, one of his most meaningful conversations since the day he was diagnosis was with the former Scotland and British & Irish Lions legend himself.
'I didn't expect Doddie to ring—but he did', he recalled. 'I met him once in Barbados when I was 22, and while he of course couldn't remember that, he did remember the trip.'
'Even though his voice was failing, he made time to talk. He told me to live in the moment, to stay positive. That call meant everything to me', he added.
Weir died six years after his diagnosis in 2022, but his legacy lives on through the foundation's dedication to acceleration and supporting people living with the disease.
Dr Vaughton will continue to raise awareness for the life-changing disease, fundraising via his Just Giving page for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.
He said: 'There are no effective treatments. The drugs don't do much. That's why research is vital. We need real progress, real hope. Hopefully for me—although I'm realistic—but definitely for those who come next.'
According to the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the condition affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time, and people have around a one in 300 risk of developing the condition over the course of their life.
It can affect people of any age but is commonly diagnosed in those over 50.
Life expectancy for about half of those diagnosed with the condition is between just two and five years, from the onset of symptoms.
However, some people with MND may even live for up to 10 years, and in rarer circumstances, even longer.
Initial signs of MND may include stiff or weak hands, weak legs and feet, and twitches, spasms or muscles cramps.
As the disease gets worse, sufferers may experience difficulty breathing, swallowing and speaking, mood changes and be unable to walk or move.
What exactly causes MND to develop in some people cause is largely unknown.
However, current research points towards a complex interplay of genetic, environmental and possibly lifestyle factors—and it often strikes seemingly fit and healthy people.
Last year, Leeds Rhino star Rob Burrow, 41, died after a four-and-a-half year battle with the condition.