Footy star's wife opens up on the deadly disease that's left him unable to dress or feed himself - and why she REFUSES to sue the NRL

The wife of former rugby league star John Bilbija has revealed how a diagnosis of early onset dementia has turned their life upside down and left him unable to fend for himself.

But despite the enormous obstacles they face as a family, Michelle Bilbija has no plans to sue the NRL as 'winning a court case won't bring him back to the guy he was'.

Bilbija, 65, represented the likes of Balmain, Parramatta, Western Suburbs and South Sydney in the 1980s - and the second-rower was left reeling after receiving the horrible news from a doctor just under a decade ago.

'Frankly, I'm surprised he is still with us today,' his wife of 43 years Michelle told Wide World of Sports.

'He is just a shell of the lovely man he was … It's got to the stage where he can't feed himself, can't talk, can't dress himself ... he needs full-time care.

'The lights are on, but no one is home.'

The sad development comes as Bilbija's former teammate, South Sydney great Mario Fenech, is also struggling with early onset dementia stemming from his playing days. 

The Bilbijas battle week to week on meagre pensions and while they receive some help from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), they have had to move out of Sydney due to financial pressures.

Bilbija also recently developed Parkinson's Disease.

The former footy player has agreed to donate to brain to science once he dies, which his shattered wife believes won't be too far down the track.

'Hopefully some good will come out of the research they use it for,' she said.

'If John had known the dangers, he would never have played the game.

'There's not enough awareness among players today ... they are also bigger and stronger than the players who were around in John's era.'

Fenech, who celebrated his 61st birthday last November, suffers from memory loss and has the brain of an 80-year-old after being diagnosed early onset dementia eight years ago.

After calling full-time on his 274-game career in the 1990s, Fenech became a regular figure on Channel Nine's long running program NRL Footy Show.

His wife Rebecca Fenech suspects many other retired players haven't been in touch because her husband may be a mirror that's hard for them to look into as she issued a plea for them for the sake of the future of rugby league.

'He did play that game with a lot of passion, he loved it,' Mrs Fenech said.

'I don't know what to say to them, really.'

'Just help, help this game to become safer.'