Our Athletes’ Stories
Sporting Chance Foundation is currently looking for athletes to support.
Are you an aspiring Indigenous athlete with an injury that requires surgery? Sporting Chance Foundation is currently looking for athletes to support through their journey to get back on the field.
Zayryn | Cooktown
Zayryn is from Cooktown in Far North Queensland and attends the NRL Cowboys Training House in Townsville. Unfortunately, he’s been suffering recurrent shoulder dislocations that are preventing him from playing and, not surprisingly, he’s been very keen to get back onto the footy field.
Sporting Chance Foundation and St Vincent’s Private Hospital East Melbourne stepped in and Zayryn and his mum recently travelled to Melbourne for shoulder surgery.
We're filled with immense pride for Zayryn and eagerly anticipate his return to the football field!
Peta | Townsville
Peta (age 18) injured her knee in a school touch carnival in August, 2017. Peta is an active young sportswoman and excels in a variety of sports such as touch football, rugby league and netball - where she has made numerous representative teams both locally, regionally and Indigenous teams. Her main passions are Touch and Rugby League and she plays for the local Division One Sharks Touch Football club.
Peta’s knee injury (a complete tear of her ACL) – was a real blow for her. She was worried that she might not be able to return to the elite level of sport she was aiming for, was anxious about having surgery and what the recovery would be. Peta’s mum got in touch with us and we set about liaising with her physio, getting Peta prepared for surgery and setting the wheels in motion for her op.
Peta’s surgery went really well and she is now working hard on her rehabilitation program with her physiotherapist (with guidance from our Sporting Chance Foundation physio team) and hopes to be back on the sporting field later in 2018.
We’re extremely proud of Peta – and can’t wait to see her back on the footy field in the near future!
Merinda | Penrith
Merinda injured her knee playing Oztag. Her knee was causing her a lot of pain, was clicking and giving way and felt weak. Merinda saw her local GP who referred her for an MRI that showed she’d torn her ACL. Merinda was advised by her doctor that she was likely to have to wait a year or more for her surgery on the public health waiting list. Merinda, who is very active in a number of sports and needs to be mobile for her job got in touch with us.
Merinda was already seeing a physio in her hometown and we liaised with them to get her fit and strong prior to her surgery. In early 2018 Merinda had surgery to repair her ACL. Her surgery was a great success and she is now no longer experiencing pain or giving way. She’s working really hard in the gym under the guidance of her physio (with input from the Sporting Chance Foundation physio team) and is on track to return to the sports field later in 2018.
Merinda has been such a star and we are looking forward to her sporting comeback!