Suns get behind a ‘little legend’ Text thumb a COVID pain
SHE has already proven how tough she is — recovering from open heart surgery as a nineyear-old — but next week Aussie rules player Faith Reeves will demonstrate courage of a different kind.
The Helensvale State High School AFL Academy student and Pacific Pines Junior Australian Football Club under-13 player will shave off her hair as part of the World’s Great Shave.
“When I was a younger, I had childhood heart disease and the doctors helped me. Now that I had my operation I feel I can do anything,” said Faith.
The 11-year-old will donate all money raised to the Leukaemia Foundation. And it’s set to be a significant donation, with the original goal of $500 smashed within the first hour.
Life changed for Faith and her family five years ago when she developed a childhood heart condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia. Among other things, it caused her to have unexplained heart palpitations.
“In the beginning we had no idea what was happening,” Faith’s mum Sarah said. “When these episodes happened, we had to get an ambulance to the hospital where they would restart her heart to get the rhythm back.”
After two years on a waitlist, Faith had a sixhour heart surgery at Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane to rewire the electrical current in her heart.
“Doctors have told us there is a possibility the condition could come back at any time,” Sarah added. “However, three years on and she is doing great.”
Once recovered from her surgery, Faith made the switch from rugby league to Aussie rules and joined the Pac Power under-11 team.
“She absolutely loves being involved in the club and playing alongside her friends.
“Coming from rugby we have enjoyed seeing how inclusive AFL is for girls and their development.”
Her brave battle and love for footy hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Gold Coast Suns taking a keen interesting in showing their support for the little warrior.
AFLW player Dee Heslop took it upon herself to make a surprise FaceTime call to Faith at her Thursday afternoon training session.
She took the opportunity to show support and encourage Faith and her friends to continue their amazing work off the field and enjoy their footy on the field.
And if that wasn’t enough, she rubbed shoulders with Suns cocaptain Jarrod Witts at Metricon on Friday as they prepare for Round 1 of the 2021 AFL season.
“For us as players, we want to mean more to the community than just being football players, we love giving back and trying to help show our support even in the smallest of ways,” Witts said.
“Faith is a little legend and we hope she continues to kick goals on and off the field. Everyone at the Suns is right behind her.”
On Monday, Faith will shave her head in front of her schoolmates. Her family and friends will also be there to watch.
“During Faith’s disease we have received fundraising and support from the Heart Kids’ Foundation, and we will always be grateful to charities like the Leukaemia Foundation,” Sarah said.
OCCUPATIONAL therapists say they have been inundated with patients suffering from painful “text thumb” since professionals started working from home.
The condition – also known as Facebook thumb – is a precursor to the painful condition de Quervain’s tenosynovitis.
Action Rehab director Ben Cunningham, a member of the Australian Hand Therapy Certification Board, said he had seen an increase in the two conditions and tennis elbow since COVID-19.
“Our number of patients didn’t drop off much during COVID – despite sport stopping – and that’s because it was all these people working from home with injuries, and we started to get the Quervains, tennis elbow and Facebook thumb patients,” he said.
He said Facebook thumb occurred with bigger phones, which required greater movement
by its users and put more stress on thumb joints. De Quervain’s tenosynovitis can become chronic if not treated and causes shooting pain down the thumb side of the wrist.
Public relations manager Liliana Molina had pain for more than six months before being diagnosed with de
Quervain’s tenosynovitis.
“In the past 12 months, all my work isn’t necessarily on my laptop, so I’ve been using my phone a lot for texting,” she said.
“Both my GP and my occupational therapist said they’ve seen a lot more patients with this since working from home.”
GREAT to hear new Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan (right) is literally getting her feet in the water experiencing all that is good and great about our city.
“The family is loving it and we have received such a warm and friendly welcome from everyone. I have received an exhaustive list of things to do so we have been slowly ticking them off.
“We’ve visited different beaches, went jet-boating, which was a brilliant way to enjoy the coastline, and I’m booked in for some surf lessons. I’ve also made a promise to try hydrofoiling. The Farmers’ Market at HOTA is a particular favourite and a great start to a Sunday morning.”
Experience it and then you can sell it.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
THE Gold Coast City Council prepared to shell out up to $1m of ratepayers’ money to buy an ageing golf club, bailing the struggling operation out of its dire financial position.
The Helensvale Golf Club, which was said to be in about $700,000 debt due to high overheads and a loss of income because of weeks of rain, planned to sell its clubhouse, and the hectare of land it sits on, to council.
Finance boss and area councillor William Owen-Jones pushed the proposal after an election promise to support the cash-strapped organisation.
Cr Owen-Jones said he would do
“whatever he can” to save the club because he believed it was the council’s responsibility.
“This is a classic example of moving to assist a sporting club and if we’re a city big enough to be involved in the Commonwealth Games, we’re a city big enough to support grassroots sport,” Cr OwenJones said.
While Cr Owen-Jones and club president Geoff Fox remain tightlipped about details surrounding the proposal, the Bulletin understood
the club at one point has offered to sell the site for about $850,000.
Sources suggest the clubhouse and land are worth considerably more now and may fetch up to $1m. The club had battled to stave off financial ruin for years, due to lost revenue caused by drainage and flooding issues on the 65ha 18-hole course – land the council already owned. “When it rains, that affects their number of playing days and that affects their revenue and return,” Cr Owen-Jones said.