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Terminally-ill rugby player carried across marathon finish line by his best mate

<p>There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd when best friends Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield crossed the finish line of the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon.</p> <p>The two Leeds Rhinos players have been raising money and awareness for people with Motor Neurone Disease since Burrow’s 2019 diagnosis, with the two raising an impressive total in the millions.</p> <p>And now, the pair have raised spirits and warmed hearts with Sinfield’s act at the end of their Leeds race, when he picked Burrow up from his chair and carried him over the finishing line. Before that, Sinfield had been pushing Burrow’s chair for 26.2 miles (42.2 km). </p> <p>The moment was met with cheering and applause as the wo concluded their marathon just after the 4 hour 22 minute mark, both from those who were there to witness it in person and from those who saw footage later when it circulated online. </p> <p>One Twitter user even went on to dub Burrow an “absolute gem of a human”, while another was certain that they were a “pair of absolute heroes”. </p> <p>“What a mate! Unbelievable in a world full of cr*p at the moment there are some genuinely lovely moments. These lads have been into battle together on the pitch for club and country,” one wrote. “It’s choked me up, I’m not going to lie.”</p> <p>“A bunch of legends,” someone else declared. “I’ve properly welled up watching this, this is what friendship is, to the ends of the earth and back.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Beautiful.</p> <p>Kevin Sinfield carried Rob Burrow over the finish line at the end of the first Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon 🥹 <a href="https://t.co/JFdd9XGgV4">pic.twitter.com/JFdd9XGgV4</a></p> <p>— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1657736670458916865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Prior to the event, Sinfield had spoken about the race to <em>The Sun</em>, and its 12,500 reported participants, as well as the thousands lining the streets to watch, and what it meant to be undertaking the marathon together. </p> <p>“Even if it was just Rob and I, we’d have a great time,” he said, “there’s no better way to do it than with your mate. The fact people want to share in it and do their own little bit is incredible.</p> <p>“This will be with mates, for mates and alongside mates, absolutely. Look across the world at big cities where marathons are run, there’s nothing like this.</p> <p>“We’ve not done any training. We ran a 10km together last July and that’s part of the challenge, doing something neither of us have done before. The unknown adds to the fun of it.</p> <p>“He’s in a custom-made chair but it could be a bumpy ride. I’ll try and find him the safest, comfiest route but if there are hills, there are hills. If it rains, it rains.”</p> <p>And as Burrow himself said to <em>The Guardian</em>, when asked about the seven marathons in seven days that Sinfield had run on behalf of Burrow, his family, and their fight against MND, “we all need a friend like Kevin.” </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Caring

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Incredible but true: Terminally ill scientist extends life for decades by becoming "world's first full cyborg"

<p>A British scientist who is terminally ill said he has transformed into “the world’s first full cyborg”.</p> <p>61-year-old Peter Scott Morgan, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2017, said he decided to extend his life using technology.</p> <p>This week, the roboticist emerged after 24 days in intensive care to reveal that “Peter 2.0 is now online”.</p> <p>“All medical procedures now complete and a huge success,” Scott-Morgan wrote on a Twitter post. “Long research road ahead but in great spirits.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Just home from 24 days in Intensive Care. All medical procedures now complete and a huge success. My mini-ventilator keeping me breathing is a LOT quieter than Darth Vader’s. All speech is synthetic but at last sounds like me again. Long research road ahead but in great spirits. <a href="https://t.co/JPjwjagDLT">pic.twitter.com/JPjwjagDLT</a></p> — Dr Peter B Scott-Morgan (@DrScottMorgan) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrScottMorgan/status/1193923007045132289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>The processes Scott-Morgan underwent during his intensive care included a laryngectomy to avoid the danger of saliva potentially entering his lungs – which he described as trading his natural voice for “potentially decades of life”.</p> <p>He also had a laser eye surgery and developed a life-like avatar of his face, which was designed to respond using artificially intelligent body language.</p> <p>The scientist, who was told by experts he might only have until the end of this year to live, said last month: “I’m not dying, I’m transforming. Oh, how I love science.”</p> <p>Scott-Morgan said the transition, which turned him into “the most advanced human cybernetic organism ever created in 13.8 billion years”, would not be his last.</p> <p>“It won’t stop there; I’ve got more upgrades in progress than Microsoft,” he wrote on his website. “Mine isn’t just a version change. It’s a metamorphosis.”</p> <p>Scott-Morgan said MND, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, should be seen as an opportunity to “upgrade” rather than a death sentence.</p> <p>“Over time, more and more with MND, with extreme disability, with old age, with a passion simply to break free from their physical straightjacket, will choose to stand beside me,” he wrote.</p> <p>He is now lobbying British MPs for support for his Right to Thrive campaign, which calls for increased access for people with MND to life-sustaining technologies, including tracheostomy and cough-assist machine.</p>

Body

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10 super simple ways to bring joy into your life

<p>Here are 10 things you can do to put a smile on that dial and turn that frown upside down.</p> <p><strong>1. Exercise </strong></p> <p>All lists about happiness stress the importance of exercise in maintaining a cheery outlook. Around 20 minutes of exercise a day boosts endorphins and distracts your mind from pressing woes; it has also been shown to boost memory. It has to be a daily commitment -- according to research conducted by Penn State University, even one day of being sedentary lowers mood and memory retention -- but the euphoria yielded by an endorphin rush is worth the pain. Fortunately, there's a more enjoyable way than running or endless squats...</p> <p><strong>2. Sexxxercise</strong></p> <p>Yes folks: as well as allegedly feeling not entirely unpleasant and burning off calories, engaging in coitus is conducive to happiness and reductions in stress and anxiety. Regardless of your orientation or set of equipment, engaging in coitus once a week can make you feel as good as if you've earned an extra $50,000 in income. Those of you without partners, fear not: masturbation is equally effective in abating stress and getting the endorphins flowing. Dim the lights, light some candles, put on some Marvin Gaye and do your thing. You can also use your refractory period as impetus to catch up on...</p> <p><strong>3. Sleep</strong></p> <p>Ahh sleep, blissful repose, a blessed reprieve from pesky consciousness. Unfortunately, in the course of our manic everyday lives, it seems we're not getting enough of the good stuff. according to the latest data, one-third or more of us aren't sleeping enough.</p> <p>No matter how busy we are, most adults still require between seven and nine hours (and a good dosing of caffeine) to function properly. Making sure you get enough does wonders for your mood, minimises the risk of illness and other stressful factors, and has been shown to increase an optimistic outlook on life.<br /> <br /><strong>4. Go outdoors</strong></p> <p>I get it. I know that some days it's hard enough to leave your bed, let alone the comfort and warmth of your secure abode, but research shows your trepidation will be short-lived. Even looking at images of nature scenes online has been shown to uplift people's moods. The effects of experiencing it first-hand, then, are beyond dispute. As an added bonus, being outdoors exposes your body to vitamin D, which is famed for its ability to lift the spirits and even ward off depression.</p> <p><strong>5. Or stay in with a movie</strong></p> <p>There's a contrasting approach you can take if you're a bit under the weather. Research suggests that watching a movie, or binge-watching a television show, can be great for righting emotionally turbulent periods. It doesn't have to be a highbrow cinematic opus either. Slide those copies of <em>Citizen Kane</em> and <em>Satantango</em> back under the bed and put on, say, <em>27 Dresses</em> or <em>The 40-Year-Old Virgin</em> (unabashedly my go-tos).</p> <p>As an interesting corollary, Ohio State University published findings that show watching sad movies can improve your mood. As counterintutive as it may seem, there's solid reasoning behind it: sad movies force us to focus on the things in our lives with are important, which in turn boosts happiness.</p> <p><strong>6. Or a good book, or tune</strong></p> <p>The curious art of "bibliotherapy", or the art of encouraging reading for its therapeutic effect, has existed as long as fiction itself. But it's recently been given science's royal approval. According to a study fresh out of the University of Liverpool, reading for as little as 30 minutes a week makes you happier, boosts self-esteem and encourages creativity and empathy.</p> <p>Meanwhile, jamming a good upbeat tune reduces stress, and it's been shown that happiness transmitted through music is contagious.</p> <p><strong>7. Or get creating yourself</strong></p> <p>According to experts, creating your own masterpieces - even if they're for your eyes and ears only - provides mental stimulation and a sense of accomplishment that leads to happiness. Writing out your feelings is particularly therapeutic. Documenting positive experiences can make you feel up to three times happier, especially when you look back at the moments you're grateful for.</p> <p>In a similar vein, taking up a new hobby you haven't previously had a crack at is strongly endorsed by professionals.</p> <p><strong>8. Take care of others</strong></p> <p>Charity, compassion and kindness have long been considered fundamental human virtues. They permeate major religions – Jesus seemed pretty keen on them, and charitable offerings is one of the five pillars of Islam – but in our secular society it can be easy to lose sight of how important they are to our sense of collective humanity.</p> <p>But if you ever needed any other reason to do a good deed, know that performing them actually makes you happier and boosts self-worth. It can be anything from donating clothes or money to the homeless, to a "random act of kindness", to something as simple as checking up on an old friend you know is having a rough time. It's good for others and, happily, it's good for you.</p> <p><strong>9. And take care of yourself</strong></p> <p>Self-love is often decried as narcissistic, especially by older generations, but science isn't on their side. Studies show that taking care of yourself is integral to a general sense of happiness and building identity. This means, I'm pleased to report, that you can <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://66.media.tumblr.com/110d9a6df6a90525261d46508e3ed6e1/tumblr_nkzf6eNu6A1r3idrto1_500.gif" target="_blank">treat yourself</a></strong></span>. Retail therapy, in small doses, is real. Buy that coveted item, take a day in with your favourite book, snap that selfie that shows off your best features, wear clothes that make you feel like a million dollars. </p> <p>But before you max out your credit card, remember that saving money makes you happy as well. As with everything, it's a delicate balancing act. Try to work out whether the happiness accrued from a big purchase will be worth the stress of the debt incurred later.</p> <p><strong>10. Don't worry if you get the blues every now and then</strong></p> <p>Finally, we have a weird societal expectation that sadness is a thing to be conquered, a feeling that should be avoided and suppressed at all costs. This is, to my way of thinking, short-sighted. Finer minds than mine have looked back on their life and cherished the sad moments alongside the good. We're formed by all our experiences, good or bad, and there's no shame in that.</p> <p>On the contrary, sadness is an integral part of being human. We're in a greater position to appreciate happiness if we've experienced its opposite. Life is funny and rewarding and sad and weird and we shouldn't have it any other way. All the things on this list will help you live a life well-lived, but sadness is an important part of the rich tapestry of life.</p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

Mind