Former Wallabies hooker Nathan Charles reveals MND diagnosis

Former Wallabies hooker Nathan Charles has disclosed that he has motor neurone disease, saying his health had declined for months before doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The 37-year-old said the news had been challenging and overwhelming, and that the condition was already affecting his mobility and daily activities. Charles said in an interview that he had undergone numerous tests and consulted doctors while his health continued to worsen. He described being diagnosed in recent weeks. One report gave September 13 as the date the diagnosis was confirmed, but Charles’s other accounts describe it only as recent; the reports do not resolve that difference. He said he uses mobility aids and struggles with routine tasks, including putting on shoes and socks. Charles also said he understands there is no cure for MND and that it affects each person differently. He has not provided further clinical details in the reported interviews, and no medical documentation was made public in the reports. Charles said his first concern after learning the diagnosis was its effect on his family and fiancée, Steph Bailey.