Wally Lewis has revealed he is likely suffering from a degenerative brain condition after years of repeated blows to the head during his storied rugby league career.
The 63-year-old king remains physically fit, but his brain is failing him and doctors are 90 percent sure he has developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The horror condition is a progressive and fatal form of dementia caused by multiple concussions.
It is increasingly common in retired contact athletes around the world and leads to memory loss, behavioral problems and decline in basic cognitive skills.
But little is still known about CTE, and it can only be officially diagnosed after a person has died and an autopsy of the brain has been performed.
The girlfriend of the father-of-three, Linda Adams, said she knew something was wrong when he started repeating the same stories over and over.
“I remember Wally would pick me up and talk to me about something as we drove along,” Ms. Adams told 60 Minutes.
Wally Lewis has revealed he is likely suffering from a degenerative brain condition after years of repeated blows to the head during his storied rugby league career
“About three minutes later he said ‘Ah!’ like he never told me and then would tell me the same story.
“I said ‘okay’ and about three to five minutes later I told myself the same story. Those kinds of things stood out the most. The repetitive stories.’
The couple got together after Lewis and his wife Jacqui separated in 2021 after 36 years. Mrs. Adams has been by his side throughout the devastating ordeal.
Lewis’s diagnosis was later all but confirmed by his doctor Rowena Mobb, after she performed a simple memory test.
“One of my first encounters with the doctor, she asked me to repeat simple things. I think it might have been five things and it could have been something like bus, dog, truck, camera, chair,” Lewis said.
“She went to them two or three times, she asked me how I felt. A minute later she said what are the things I asked you to remember and I got two.
“Sometime later she said remember what they were and I think I said bus.”
The diagnosis comes as a shock to his fans and football enthusiasts, who still follow Lewis’ work as a beloved sports commentator and media personality.
In a playing career that spanned three decades, Lewis cemented his reputation in the brutal sport and was declared an immortal – the code’s greatest honor.
Wally Lewis is pictured with his three children (left, Lincoln Lewis, second left, water polo star Jamie-Lee Lewis and right, Mitchell Lewis) and ex-partner Jacqui
Wally Lewis (left) revealed that he has probably been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. His girlfriend Linda Adams (right) said she knew something was wrong when the football legend repeated the same story three times in less than 10 minutes
He captained Australia and inspired Queensland – winning a record eight-man of the match awards during his home state career.
He later became a sports commentator and suffered an epileptic fit in 2006 while reading the sports bulletin during a live broadcast for 9News. In 2007, surgeons removed part of his brain to control the seizures.
However, leading neurologist Dr. Mobbs said the deterioration in Lewis’s brain is evident when he compares his scans to those of healthy brains.
“He had the most exquisite coordination I’ve seen in anyone, but when I went to test his brain, not like that, he doesn’t even come back to normal,” Dr. Mobbs said.
“There are fluid-filled spaces in Wally’s brain rather than filled with that brain tissue itself, we’d like to see it much fuller.”
“We know there’s a gradual shrinkage of the brain…and that raises suspicions of CTE.”
Lewis’s brain decline is evident when he compares his scans to those of healthy brains (pictured)
Mrs. Adams has been by his side throughout the devastating ordeal
Lewis said athletes have a belief that they have to prove how strong they are by getting through injuries.
But he now believes there is power in asking for help and acknowledging that something is wrong.
“I think for many athletes, most of us believe that we have to prove how strong we are… how robust,” said Lewis.
“But we have to accept it and admit that the problems are there.”
Lewis added that he keeps a meticulously detailed diary, which he calls his “best friend,” to help him navigate each day.
“I rely on this, I actually call it my best friend, I carry it with me everywhere,” said Lewis.
“People wonder why I carry a diary and I say I don’t want to miss anything.”
CTE is a progressive and deadly form of dementia caused by repeated blows to the head. The diagnosis comes as a shock to his fans and football buffs alike (Patrick Carrigan of the Maroons with Wally Lewis during Game 3 of the 2023 State of Origin)
When asked if he would go ‘just as fast’ if he could relive his football career, Lewis came up with a surprising answer.
‘Would I change anything? No, I wouldn’t,” said Lewis.
“I loved the game I played. I felt privileged to have played it and been given that opportunity.”
Lewis has made the decision to donate his brain to science for research and hopes that sharing his story will help raise awareness of CTE and its effects.
The Wally Lewis statue is on display outside Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia