In what has been an extensively busy year with our wellbeing activities, we asked Family of League National Wellbeing Manager, Roxanne Moates, to share her experiences with some of the grants she oversaw while wrapping up 2023.
Roxanne said, “Gradually losing any of our essential six senses as we age can be challenging, however this is not entirely unexpected. Imagine the turmoil your life would be thrown into if in your early 40s you begin to lose your vision? Then, by your mid-40s, your vision has deteriorated to a point where you are no longer able to read the newspaper or see the birds chirping in the trees, let alone make a cup of tea, drive a car, or continue in your chosen field of work? This is the situation that faced a wonderfully community-minded family man on Qld’s Sunshine Coast in early 2023.
Having played Rugby League for over 15 years before moving into coaching and volunteering roles, being physically active was always a huge part of his daily life. Post diagnosis has seen his focus shift to learning to navigate his way around his home again; which he reports he’s now doing so with confidence. Now he is also spending time discovering how to explore the world at large, both safely and independently with the assistance of his newly acquired cane.
It is not unusual to see him out and about in his local community, enjoying the footpath under his feet and the breeze on his face as he goes about his daily fitness routine.
Thanks to the Family of League Foundation supporting him and his family, via our financial grant, he has had one less thing to worry about while he is adjusting to his new normal.”
Roxanne continued with some wonderful words she received from one of her wellbeing clients: “If not for the family of League, we don’t know where we would be? The care and support shown by the people we have worked with is amazing. The Family of League allows us to see light at the end of the tunnel. From the financial assistance to the friendly manner in which we are treated… it is amazing.”
Rox went on to say, “These words echo the sentiments for so many of those that the Foundation assist, but for this family of three, living in a caravan park on the north side of Brisbane, it expresses the desperation and fear they felt when their main breadwinner was unable to work while recovering from leg surgery to remove a cancerous tumour. With recovery taking longer then expected and funds becoming scarce, reaching out to the Foundation was their final hope.
The freedom and promise that financial support provided to this family was demonstrated, not just in the words that they shared, but also in the hope that was restored to them when the promise of a brighter future became a reality.”
Thanks, Roxanne, for this quick glimpse into your activities. Keep up the great work in 2024!