Baby Leo inspires greatness
If Chiefs prop Angus Ta’avao ever needs inspiration, he glances down at his phone.
Looking back at him is a picture of his 14-month-old son Leo.
Ta’avao is 1.94m and 124kg, but one look at his tiny son turns him into mush.
‘‘If I’m having a difficult day, seeing him makes it all better,’’ Ta’avao says.
‘‘The smile he gives us, gets me. It sounds so cliche, but when I see that, it melts my heart. He’s just a special part of our life.’’
The couple held off choosing Leo’s name for a few days as he fought for his life. He was born with partial trisomy 13, a genetic disorder which affects a child’s ability to grow.
Leo spent the first three months of his life in hospital in Sydney, where Ta’avao was playing for the Waratahs, before the family returned to New Zealand so the baby could be with extended family.
His name was inspired by Ta’avao’s partner’s grandfather, but it was the meaning behind the name that made it stick.
‘‘Leo the lion. We called him Leo because he has a big heart and he is so brave.’’
Many babies born with trisomy13 don’t live more than a year, but Leo is beating the odds, and has flourished after the move back to New Zealand.
Support for the couple in the form of close friends and family has been immeasurable as they navigate being new parents, allowing them to give Leo the fullest life possible.
‘‘Having his little cousins about is making a huge difference. He likes to get outside, and have fun,’’ Ta’avao says.
‘‘It’s amazing the way he can affect people. He’s a bit of a flirt too.’’
Becoming a parent has put everything into perspective for Ta’avao, giving him focus and direction: family first, and everything else secondary.
Which is how the big forward landed at the Chiefs this year, by putting family first.
When his Waratahs contract was not renewed, it looked like his professional rugby career would be shelved and an alternative gig overseas would have taken him away from Leo and his partner, Kristyn Bradfield.
‘‘That’s not who I am. I want to be around my family.’’
Ta’avao waslooking at various non-rugby options in New Zealand, but in a last-ditch effort gave Chiefs coach Colin Cooper a call.
Cooper gave the prop a whirl. Like his son, Ta’avao blossomed back in New Zealand, and thanks to a few injuries elsewhere and his own top form, he’s in the run-on side.
In the beginning Bradfield and Leo continued to live in Auckland, while Ta’avao commuted to Hamilton for the week’s training. Monday to Friday he lived with Chiefs team-mates Damian and Marty Mckenzie, heading back up State Highway 1 for the weekend.
The entire family is living in Hamilton now, and loving the close-knit Chiefs community.
‘‘I had heard it was good down here, but it really is. It’s got a great environment.’’
And Leo has a big team behind him.