English professional footballer Lenny Johnrose, who during his career played for several clubs including Burnley, Bury and Swansea City has died. He was born on 29 November 1969 and died on 15 August 2022, aged 52. He died about two months to this 53rd birthday.
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Johnrose is survived by his wife Nadine and their children Chanel, Elizabeth and Patrick.
After retiring from football, Johnrose became a teacher. However, he couldn’t teach for long as he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), an uncommon condition which affects the brain and nerves.
MND causes weakness that gets worse over time and though it has no cure, there are treatments to help reduce the impact it has on a person’s daily life. As a result, some people are able to live with the condition for many years.
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Photo Credit: BBC
Johnrose sought to raise awareness of the condition among current players through his Project 92 work, after the 2019 FIELD Study identified a four-fold increased risk of developing MND among footballers compared to the general population.
In an interview with the PA News Agency in November 2020, John Rose said;
“That (increased risk) should cause massive shockwaves, but it’s barely caused a ripple. We really need to get that message out there.”
It was his children and wife who supported him in launching the #IceFoot92 challenge last year to raise funds for the MND Association, where participants were challenged to immerse their feet in icy water for 92 seconds.
After Johnrose went public about his condition and personal battle with motor neurone disease, Gareth Winston and Lee Trundle organised a team of Swansea legends to take part in a game which ended with a 10–7 win for the legends.
He died on 15 August 2022, at the age of 52.
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