Jai Arrow and his partner Berina have secretly tied the knot just months after the retired NRL star announced his devastating diagnosis.
On Tuesday morning, Arrow’s now-wife took to social media to confirm the “special” news, posting photos of what appeared to be a courthouse elopement outside of Martin Place in Sydney.
“We did a thing,” she wrote.
“Don’t know how Italy will top this one but we can’t wait to celebrate with all our family and friends.
“I’m in awe of how amazing people are … thank you to everyone who gave their time to make this elopement a very extra special one.”
The pair have been engaged since late 2024 and welcomed their daughter Ayla last year.
The former Rabbitohs star announced his heartbreaking retirement earlier this year after revealing he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
The 30-year-old has since been embraced by the NRL community, with his former club set to throw a birthday party this weekend as part of the “Jai July” celebrations.
“On July 12, we will throw the biggest birthday party in the world for Jai. It will be a huge occasion with the whole game involved,” the NRL said in a statement.
“This is not just for Rabbitohs and Knights fans – it’s for everyone in the game to get behind.
“Don’t bring presents. Bring a donation. And help Jai get through this with everyone in the Rugby League community behind him.”
The celebrations come just days after the University of Queensland (UQ) revealed that they’ve made a major breakthrough in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions like MND.
The disease is considered a death sentence, with the average life expectancy just 2-3 years from diagnosis, according to MND Australia.
However, as the NRL launched its opening clash of Jai July last week – where every try scored will see $1000 donated to the Arrow family – the university spread the news about their breakthrough, which provides hope not just for Arrow but for all diagnosed with a neurodegenerative condition.
UQ scientists, along with global experts, have uncovered the molecular make-up of a receptor found on the surface of many immune cells called C5aR2.
That finding has allowed them to develop R8Y, a molecule that specifically binds to C5aR.
“With this knowledge, it’s possible we could have an anti-inflammatory drug treatment for testing in MND patients within 5 years, possibly turning the disease into a long-term chronic condition rather than an acute terminal illness,’’ Professor Trent Woodruff said in a statement to UQ.
“The drug we developed as part of this study, called R8Y, is a molecule that specifically binds to C5aR2.
“This allowed us to see the structure and function of the receptor which led to the discovery that C5aR2 does not behave like most other receptors.
“It is unable to couple to G proteins — a rare and important distinction which explains why it’s been so difficult to target and why its role in inflammation has been so elusive.
“Using the drug we created, our international partners created a model of the drug bound to the receptor, giving us vital information around how the drug binds to the receptor and how the receptor signals.”
Researchers are now working to develop “even better anti-inflammatory drugs” for tough-to-treat neurodegenerative diseases like MND, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
They are hoping it will be available for testing in MND patients within five years.
More to come.
Originally published as Jai Arrow secretly ties the knot following devastating motor neurone diagnosis
