As a young bloke, this massive footy fan played for an inner Sydney RSL JRLFC from under 6s right up until turning 18, and then helped out by volunteering for his club as a ball boy and general helper. Now a baby boomer, last December, in fact it was Christmas Day, his life was shattered when admitted to hospital following a heart attack and kidney failure.
After having three stents inserted into his heart, he now requires dialysis three times weekly to deal with his kidney issues.
Plus, the doctors are now talking about diabetes and, one would easily understand, he is also dealing with depression… requiring further support.
The poor fellow has no wife or loved one. He has no dependants to offer support. However, Family of League are there.
Queeeeeenslandeeeer!
Up in Queensland, a strapping fellow who had played junior grade in Samoa and then in Oz from 2015 until recently for a few Brizzie teams, has incurred an ankle issue. Fortunately, this injury occurred on the field while defending his opponents getting the pill over his team’s line, therefore an insurance claim has been submitted. Unfortunately, a payout will take many months.
Tasked with looking after his wife and four children, two of which play Brisbane juniors, he and his family are doing it tough paying bills. Especially as no work means no income, and with a big family… bills get big very fast. Family of League are there to bridge the gap.
Another Queenslander, another ankle
Ankle injuries seem to be filling our hospitals lately. This late 20s fellow busted his ankle playing for his local team in Southern Queensland. Having played from under 14s and up, in April he presented to the local hospital to be told he has a Weber C fracture of his left fibula and acute disruption of ankle syndesmosis.
As a casual worker, he has no income while recuperating. Yes, there’s insurance. No, he won’t get anything for three months at the earliest… which is the amount of time required to heal. Family of League are assisting during this time.
How the smallest of things can make the biggest impact
Divorced and without dependants, this mid 60s gentleman has an extensive history with rugby league U9s to U14s across many Sydney Western Suburbs as well as the NSW Police – even multi touring New Zealand with the Police team.
Last year, while travelling overseas, he cut his toe and thought nothing of it. Back home, he was rushed to hospital wavering in and out of consciousness for between 6 to 10 days.
When he finally woke, to his shock he discovered both his legs had been removed… to save his life. He had been infected by a flesh-eating bug. These infections also caused damage to his heart, kidneys and lungs; however, these complications have been managed with medication and rehabilitation since the amputations were undertaken.
While NDIS support assists, without both legs, he is finding it quite stressful to be mobile especially around his residence where distance to essential services is quite a challenge.
Family of League has provided a new mobility scooter to greatly enhance his lifestyle.
As previously mentioned in other wellbeing articles, the above is only a fraction of the activities we have been providing this month to people doing it tough in our rugby league family. We look forward to bringing you more wellbeing stories after the conclusion of this month.