Giving back
Team helps young patients tackle epilepsy with a visit to Wellington Hospital.
All Blacks squad member Damian McKenzie barely battered an eyelid when 18-month-old epilepsy sufferer Mia Maniapoto plopped down on his lap.
McKenzie and fellow All Blacks Dane Coles and Aaron Smith visited a group of children with epilepsy at Wellington Hospital yesterday before today’s second Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies at Westpac Stadium.
The visit was part of the team’s charity work for Cure Kids.
Mia’s father, Marshall Maniapoto, admitted to being ‘‘starstruck’’ while watching his daughter with McKenzie. But he realised Mia, who was diagnosed with epilepsy before her first birthday, would not understand the significance of the meeting.
‘‘The funniest thing was that when she got to meet Dane Coles, she was too busy trying to play with his beard and smacking him,’’ Marshall chuckled. ‘‘All she cared about was the doughnuts.’’
Parent Angela Riley gave an emotional speech about the impact that epilepsy has had on her 14-year-old daughter, Jorden, who began having seizures at 14 months of age.
At her worst, Jorden would have as many as 40 seizures a day – an experience Riley compared to ‘‘running a marathon’’.
‘‘It’s been a real rollercoaster. I mean, you think you have a normal child and then, all of a sudden you get whammed with this freaky outbreak really,’’ Riley said.
Jorden now leads a pretty normal life thanks to an effective treatment plan. She had a smile from ear to ear when she met the All Blacks trio, especially Smith.
‘‘He’s really fast. He’s pretty much how I am on the netball court,’’ Jorden said.
As a father, Coles said hearing Angela speak about Jorden’s journey was a humbling experience.
‘‘I take my hat off to the people who had to go through that. It just makes me realise how lucky we are to have a healthy baby.
‘‘Being a newish father, it’s pretty touching,’’ he said.
Otago University Associate Professor Lynette Sadlier welcomed the opportunity to shine a light on the illness.
‘‘Epilepsy is common, is serious and is almost always genetic.’’
With the All Blacks’ off-field commitments now complete, attention will turn to facing the wounded Wallabies in the second Bledisloe Cup test.
Coles has prepared himself for a far more competitive Australian outfit from the one the team beat 42-8 in Sydney last weekend.
‘‘We have to go one better. I’m pretty sure if I was in their shoes, the performance they put in, I’d be wanting to come out and prove them wrong.’’