League legends come together to help fellow former player Adam Maher in battle with MND

A former rugby league star is going through the battle of his life after being diagnosed with MND last year with legends of the sport coming together in support of his fight.

NO setback proved too much for Adam Maher to overcome as a rugby league player.

He gave everything he had every time he took the field. And his battle with Motor Neurone Disease is no different.

Maher, who grew up in Wynnum, was diagnosed with MND in February last year. It was a shocking revelation for Maher, his wife, Trudy, and their children, knowing there is no cure for the condition and ­doctors giving him only around two years to live.

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“At first it was just shock when he was diagnosed thinking ‘we can’t be dealt this card’,” Mrs Maher said.

“The hard thing is knowing Adam won’t see his kids grow up, walk them down the aisle and all those type of things … But we got one piece of advice from a professional that helped us, she said to Adam that he was not dying, he was just living with a disease.”

MND is the name used to describe a group of diseases in which the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control the way we walk, talk, eat, swallow and breathe progressively die.

“Recently it’s been getting harder as Adam has deteriorated further as far as losing weight and muscle and his speech getting worse,” Mrs Maher said.

“That’s really difficult to see for him, myself and the kids.”

Adam with his youngest child Zoe in Wynnum. Picture: Renae Droop/AAP

But the 46-year-old, who played for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in juniors and seniors, and his family, are tackling the battle head on with help from the rugby league community.

Maher also played seniors for Easts Tigers, the Cronulla Sharks, Hunter Mariners, Newcastle (England) and Hull (England).

More than 400 people attended the Night for Adam Maher fundraising dinner at the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club on Friday, where more than $127,000 was raised to help Maher in his fight.

People who attended included Maher’s good friends in current North Queensland Cowboys coach and bayside legend Paul Green, Craig Greenhill, Cronulla Sharks great Andrew Ettingshausen as well as FOXSPORTS personalities Matty Johns, Brian Fletcher and Gordon Tallis.

Adam Maher with his wife Trudy in Wynnum. Picture: Renae Droop/AAP

“The support means so much to Adam and our family,” Mrs Maher said.

“It’s just been incredible to see what people have done to help Adam and never did we think that raising more than $100,000 was possible. That’ll help us a lot as we continue this battle … it all helps.”

Craig Greenhill has known Maher since they were eight and they were and were teammates at the Seagulls as well as at the Cronulla Sharks and in England for the Hull club.

“He’s such a great mate to everyone and has made a big impact on so many people that he has known and the support from the fundraiser is proof of that,” Greenhill said.

“I was not surprised at all to see people come from all over Australia and overseas to support him, that’s just the type of guy he is. He makes an impression on everyone.

“We went to Hull recently and they put on a fundraiser for him and the response there was the same. Everyone just loves him.”

Maher and his family donated some of the money raised to the MND and Me Foundation.

MND and Me Foundation chief executive Paul Olds said it was great to see this type of event happening, which raises awareness for the disease.

”There’s a lot of good in the world and when your best mates are guys like Mark Beitz, Paul Green and those types of people, big things can happen,” he said.

“We’ve been there helping Adam and his family to know what services are available to help them and we will continue to support them in any way we can.”

Mr Olds said the foundation currently serviced 87 per cent of people with MND in Queensland and his aim was to make that 100 per cent.

“We want to make sure no Queenslander faces MND alone,” he said.

“Obviously from the community, we’d love to have more money and donations coming through so we can build on what we already do.

”So far we have donated $1.2 million to research since we started but like everyone we want to see a cure for this disease. I’d be happiest man in the world if I was out of a job.”

The fundraising dinner was organised by Mark and Gaylene Beitz and many others.