Former Wallaby Nathan Charles remains the only known professional Rugby player in history. Now the ex-hooker is eager to inspire and buck the perception.
Charles is one of the headline ambassadors behind a new national campaign around cystic fibrosis, launched on Friday.
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The disease has become Australia’s most common, life-shortening genetic condition, with over two-thirds of Australians with the condition 18 and over.
This includes the Western Force great, who played four games for the Wallabies between 2014-15 amid his decade-long career.
"If you look at the symptoms and classic outcomes of cystic fibrosis, it's not a great scenario from a sporting point of view, but he seems to have defied science and defied logic,” coach Ewen McKenzie said at the time of his debut (via SMH)
Charles, who also played for the Rebels and across Europe, is hoping to inspire a new generation living with it.
“During my childhood, the conversation around CF was about limitations,” he said.
“Pulling on the Wallabies jersey wasn't just a personal achievement; it was proof possibilities can change.
“If a young person with CF can look at these stories and believe their future is bigger than their diagnosis, then we've achieved something special.”
Six-year-old Heath Hayes is among those inspired by Charles’ story, with his mother, Ashley, inspired by his perseverance.
"To hear from someone who had lived what we were experiencing was so comforting. And when he told us that Heath was going to be okay, I believed him,” Ashley said.
The campaign focuses on telling the stories behind the numbers, led by filmmaker Alexandrena Parker, who also lives with CF.
“Just a generation ago, many Australians born with CF were not expected to live into adulthood,” said Dr. Jo Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of Cystic Fibrosis Australia.
“Life was often shaped by repeated hospital stays, malnutrition, social isolation and the unnerving knowledge that time could be so unfairly limited.
“But today, what is possible for those living with CF, is a changing story.”
