Jai Arrow has travelled to Spain after his recent MND diagnosis, retiring from rugby league immediately as he seeks treatment options not widely available in Australia. Actor Matt Nable, who lost his brother Aaron to the disease in 2024, posted an emotional me
Jai Arrow didn’t waste a week after the diagnosis. He’s already on the move, heading overseas to begin treatment for motor neuron disease just days after announcing he has it.
The former South Sydney and representative star. 30. was forced to retire from the sport immediately to battle a condition with no cure. Motor neuron disease is progressive and damages the nerve cells that control movement, gradually weakening and wasting muscles. As it advances. it can affect the ability to walk. speak. swallow and breathe. while typically not affecting intelligence or awareness.
Arrow has travelled to Spain in the hope of accessing treatment options not widely available in Australia. His destination is SHA Spain. a health optimisation clinic and wellness centre that provides medical treatment. rehabilitation and personalised health programs. The facility says it offers access to leading doctors. advanced therapies and experimental treatments that may help manage symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
“It’s the first step for me to mentally prepare for what is going to be a pretty hefty battle,” Arrow said. “I’ll be doing everything – hyperbaric chamber, diet, exercise. I am really looking forward to getting over there, learning and then coming home and getting stuck into this bastard.”
He added that the trip will give him time away from daily reality before he faces what comes next. “I’m going to get away from reality for a bit and then I’ll come home and face the music.”
Arrow said saying goodbye was difficult for his family. “It was hard (to say bye to Berina and Ayla) but I’m only going for a week. Having MND can be a bit confronting for her, but she understands and I’ll be home soon.”
Beyond seeking help for himself, Arrow said he wants to help others and push for a future cure. “I want to help find a cure and inspire people.” He then framed the move as a personal fight: “I’m going over there to get ready to fight for my life.”
His decision came as the illness continues to take a heavy toll on prominent players across Australia. MND has claimed the lives of high-profile footy figures including NRL star Carl Webb and AFL champion Neale Daniher, who died just this week after a 13-year battle.
Actor Matt Nable also weighed in on Arrow’s announcement, delivering a tribute after losing his brother Aaron to MND in 2024. In a video shared by Nable, he began with an audio grab from Arrow saying: “Thank you for standing beside me through all of this”.
A montage followed, taking viewers through Arrow’s playing days alongside images of past footy stars who have lost their lives to MND, with Nable placing his focus on Arrow’s determination.
“I want to inspire,” Nable said. “When asked what lays ahead in the face of this disease, those words, Jai Arrow’s words, are the personification of courage, of dignity.”
Nable then spoke directly about the reality people with motor neuron disease face. “Because unfortunately in our world today, people with motor neuron disease are facing this beast without a cure.”
He described how the disease targets those who already spent their lives on the line. “Too often it picks fights with those who have already spent their lives with their hands up. those who have bravely put their bodies on the line. who have left every ounce of their willingness to compete on the field.”.
And he pointed to the stark fact of Arrow’s age. “Now MND has picked a fight with another fighter, a young man, only 30.”
Nable also suggested Arrow may have been playing through symptoms in his final season. “If you want to know what kind of a fighter Jai Arrow is, then consider this,” he said. “Last year he almost certainly played the whole season with this disease already inside him, chipping away at him.”
He said those who knew Arrow would not be surprised by what comes next. “For those who know Jai, played with or against him, that knowledge would come as no surprise. Rather. it would provoke an immense sense of pride. that they know him. that he is their son. their brother. their friend and their father.”.
Nable said the road will be brutal, but he insisted Arrow will not walk it alone. “The road will be tough, it will seem at times unfair. Jai Arrow is going to fight.”
He echoed Arrow’s own line of defiance: “In his own words, ‘I will not be taken out easily’.”
Then, speaking to the wider rugby league community, Nable delivered the message Arrow needs as treatment begins. “What Jai Arrow needs to know is that every single soul in the wonderful community of rugby league are standing all sides of you. We are walking with you. We are holding you. We are on this journey with you.”.
Through the hardship, he said there is still hope—and that people are working for it. “Through this, there is hope. Know that there are people at the coalface brawling just as hard, who are determined to find a cure.”
Nable ended with a personal comparison from his own experience with the disease. “I once knew a man with the same disease as Jai. He looked into the eyes of his family and told them ‘I will never give in’.”
He said Arrow shares that refusal. “Jai is the same. Fight mate, we are with you.”
Jai Arrow MND motor neuron disease rugby league South Sydney SHA Spain Matt Nable Aaron Nable Carl Webb Neale Daniher hyperbaric chamber Spain treatment