Players show true teamwork
TEAMWORK is all about sticking together through thick and thin. And that is what a young rugby team in Swansea have done after the mother and grandmother of one of them were diagnosed with cancer.
After they heard about the plight of Kyle Grinter and his family, what initially started as a group conversation on Whatsapp between the Bonymaen RFC under-12s team grew into a huge fundraising effort for cancer charity Maggie’s Swansea and led to the entire squad of 20 players all braving the shave in support of their teammate’s family.
With the aid of Trimology Barbers, their efforts have left Kyle’s mum with an overwhelming feeling of joy and pride, praising their efforts as they grow into young men.
Kyle’s grandmother, Debrah, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in November last year and his mother was diagnosed two months later with thyroid cancer.
“Kyle was devastated to hear initially about my mother, and then mine came as a surprise in January and I didn’t initially have the heart to tell him because I wasn’t sure if it would be too much for him,” said Kelly Maynard, Kyle’s mum, who is currently having treatment for cancer.
“We eventually did as I underwent treatment and he was left heartbroken.”
Kyle’s teammates rallied round to help in any way they could. And it led to a unanimous effort to fundraise for Maggies Swansea, which offers free support to anyone with cancer from its base alongside Singleton Hospital.
The team decided to collectively shave their heads in support of what the family was going through.
“For boys as young as 12 to be doing this on their own accord isn’t something you see too often and they’ve been a fantastic support network for not just Kyle but us too,” added Kelly.
“Even his football team, Penlan under-12s, have got involved. We were always worried about what this would mean for Kyle and he always found it difficult to talk to his friends about it, but when he did they went above and beyond. It’s such a unique thing for young boys to do and it ended up shocking a few of their parents. They really are some amazing young men.”
The fundraiser has gained support from far and wide, including from Welsh boxing icon Enzo Macarinelli, whose son also plays for Bonymaen.
Additional funds are being raised to help Maggie’s Swansea with a two peaks challenge, which people can donate to at justgiving.com/crowd funding/emily-crawford-triggs-1
JOANNA LONGSTAFFE is clinical director of the Independent General Practice in Swansea at Sancta Maria Hospital in SA1, which specialises in general practice and primary care