NHS physiotherapist, mum, wife and carer. Lindsey Burrow has taken on many roles, but it’s her role as the carer of her late husband, rugby star Rob Burrow MBE, that many of us know her for. Lindsey spoke exclusively to Editor Melissa Holmes about being a carer, MND, and life since Rob’s passing
Q: Can you tell me more about what inspired your new book, Take Care?
A: Rob encouraged me to do the book. I felt I wasn’t doing anything different to what millions of other people across the country do in terms of being a carer and looking after Rob. In many ways, I didn’t really feel I had a story. But, having done some work with ITV – a programme called Who Cares for Our Carers? – it really opened my eyes to the work that unpaid carers do. I felt I wanted to highlight the importance of unpaid carers in society.
Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
A: I wanted to write a testimony of strength, love, resilience, and the human spirit – the power of family in the face of adversity. I hope the book will offer people hope and inspiration. No matter how hard life gets, we can always find ways to keep going.
Q: Looking back on your journey with Rob, what were the most cherished moments you shared?
A: Gosh, we’ve got so many memories. Rob was my childhood sweetheart, and he was my best friend. Obviously our wedding day was special, the birth of the children, you know… But it was just the simple things in life – going out for tea, watching a movie together, or going to the park. We never lived a lavish lifestyle. Family was always at the heart of everything we did.
Rob would want me and the children to be happy – that’s what continues to inspire me. I feel so lucky and honoured to have been Rob’s wife and to have had that time with him, although the time was cut short.
Q: How did your relationship change when you became Rob’s carer after his MND diagnosis?
A: Because my job as a physiotherapist is to look after and care for people, I think I made that transition quite easily. I know Rob would have done the same for me, had it been the other way around. He was still the same person I married, but he was in a body that didn’t work like yours or mine, and he needed help.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a carer?
A: The hardest part was definitely the mum guilt – you know, you’re trying to be a good mum, you’re trying to be a good wife, you’re trying to be a good physio, and juggle everything. But you look at what Rob went through and that really puts things into perspective.
Q: Since Rob passed away in June 2024, how have you and your children been managing?
A: Rob said to us that he wanted us to be happy, and I’m determined to keep that promise to him. I see Rob very much in the children; in their courage and bravery and the way they’ve handled this. They wake up every morning with big smiles on their faces. They’re the reason I keep going.
We talk about Rob every day – it’s really important that we keep his memory alive as a family.
Q: And Rob’s legacy will continue with the opening of the specialist MND centre at Seacroft Hospital…
A: Yes, £6.8 million has been raised for a new flagship MND centre in Rob’s name – The Rob Burrow MND Care Centre. It’ll be the first of its kind in the UK: a patient- centred place that will meet their needs, with physio, speech and language, dietetics, wheelchair services, there’ll be facilities to voice bank in there for patients, because 80% of MND patients lose speech. All the consultants will be in there, it’s got a kitchen patients can use, a garden you can go and sit in. All those things will make such a difference.
Q: What changes would you like to see for carers and how they’re supported?
A: From speaking to people, Carers Allowance is just not enough. Carers are literally living on the breadline. It’s really important they get the respite care they need as well.
The government needs to recognise and reward carers for what they do. The statistics say that unpaid carers save the NHS £162 billion a year, which is the equivalent of a second NHS. Without those carers, the healthcare system would crumble.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who’s just become a carer?
A: I think the most important thing is self-care; take care of yourself because, to be a good carer, you need to be in good physical and mental health. Then there’s having time away from being a carer – as much as it’s rewarding, it can be very lonely and isolating, and it can take a toll on both your mental and physical health.
Q: What’s been the biggest surprise to you when you’ve spoken to other carers?
A: How quickly life can change. At some point in life, we’re either going to be a carer or need to be cared for. You never know what path life is going to take us on. There are so many people who are doing what they do out of love, day in and day out – not for any rewards, not for any benefits, they just do it purely out of love. We should reward them for their hard work.