Too Many Reasons to Live

Book excerpt: Winner of the Sports Book Awards 2022 The huge Sunday Times number one bestselling inspirational memoir from rugby league legend Rob Burrow on his extraordinary career, his incredible friendship with fellow Rhino Kevin Sinfield, and his battle with motor neurone disease. ‘A pocket rocket of a player and a giant of a character . . . He [was] one in a million and his story is truly inspirational’ – Clare Balding ‘I’m not giving in until my last breath’ – Rob Burrow Rob Burrow was one of the greatest rugby league players of all time. And the most inspirational. As a boy, Rob was told he was too small to play the sport. Even when he made his debut for Leeds Rhinos, people wrote him off as a novelty. But Rob never stopped proving people wrong. During his time at Leeds, for whom he played almost 500 games, he won eight Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups and three World Club Challenges. He also played for his country in two World Cups. In December 2019, Rob was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a rare degenerative condition, and given a couple of years to live. He was only thirty-seven, not long retired and had three young children. When he went public with the devastating news, the outpouring of affection and support was extraordinary. When it became clear that Rob was going to fight it all the way, sympathy turned to awe. This is the story of a tiny kid who adored rugby league but never should have made it – and ended up in the Leeds hall of fame. It’s the story of a man who resolved to turn a terrible predicament into something positive – when he could have thrown the towel in. It’s about the power of love, between Rob and his childhood sweetheart Lindsey, and of the life-changing bond of friendship between Rob, Kevin Sinfield, and their Rhino teammates. Far more than a sports memoir, Too Many Reasons to Live is a remarkable, awe-inspiring story of boundless courage and infinite kindness.