Cheltenham winning jockey left unable to speak from MND hopes fundraising will help find cure
ITV Meridian's Nicki Woodcock has been speaking to Steve Jobar and his wife Dottie Channing-Williams.
A retired jockey from Berkshire who's been left unable to speak from the effects of Motor Neurone Disease has revealed the support he’s received since he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease has been “more than he could ever wish for”.
Steve Jobar retired from horse racing after 20 years, following a career boasting 130 race wins, culminating in a triumphant victory at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival.
In the last two years with the help of the friends he's made along the way, he and his wife Dottie have raised tens of thousands of pounds to fund vital research into the disease.
The former National Hunt jockey was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in April 2022.
MND is an uncommon condition that affects the brain and nerves and causes weakness that gets worse over time.
For Steve, the first signs that something was wrong, was his family and friends noticing his slurred speech.
The disease has now left him unable to speak, so he communicates through his wife Dottie.
Describing the moment the couple found out Steve's diagnosis, she said: It’s a really strange thing because you don't know what to do.
"I didn’t know what to say to him and he didn’t know what to say to me. It’s hard.”
Watch the moment Steve Jobar rode Heighlin to victory in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1980.
There's currently no cure for MND, but there are treatments to help reduce the impact it has on daily life.
Some people live with the condition for many years. For Steve, the illness has also left him weak and struggling to control his emotions.
Asked how he manages his symptoms every day, he said: “Mostly through me (Dottie).”
Steve is most famous for riding Heighlin to victory in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1980.
If the rumours are to be believed, bookies ran out of cash, as the odds were against him.
“Being a jump jockey, one of the most important parts of the job is learning how to fall correctly," Steve said, speaking through wife Dottie.
"Forming a tight ball as you hit the ground can protect you from many injuries.
"But even so, I broke ankles, ribs and survived three kicks in the face.
"The most troublesome injury was a broken elbow which needed screwing together, and being a complicated joint, it still causes him trouble today, but not head injuries really.”
Fellow retired jockey John Francome added: "Over the years, you just see sadly, one jockey after another, or a stablehand, that gets badly injured and has life-changing injuries.
"I wouldn’t say you get numbed to it but you get used to things happening. And I think in many ways it’s probably helped Steve.
"A lot of people, never go into hospital until they’re on their way out. You know, if you’re a jockey, you’ve been in and out of hospital all your life.
"He’s been well prepared for this.”
Steve Jobar speaking through wife, Dottie Channing-Williams
The exact cause of the disease remains unknown - which is why Steve Jobar went public with his illness to help fund vital research.
A fundraising lunch and auction at Newbury Racecourse raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
“It’s just been fantastic," Steve said.
"I can’t believe how successful it is.
"We have to take each day as it comes, but you have to be positive and when we have good days, you look at it and you really think, this is all going to be alright, everything is going to be fine.
"And then you come down a bit and that’s really really hard. But hopefully we can keep each other going.
"We’ll do the best we can.”
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