Sam the RAMA fan
12 Sep 2006, 17:36
Intresting read..Adam's speech at the NAB rising star awards. (from efc website.)
Poor guy,I hope all is going well for him..I would love to see him playing footy again at Essendon. :thumbsu:
And I hope the young guns who have a whole career ahead of them took this in..
love ya RAMA!!
I guess at the start of my career I was so fortunate. I played in four grand finals in three years. I won the reserves best and fairest (in 1999). I was runner-up in this great award (Rising Star in 2000). I was lucky enough to play for Australia under the great Garry Lyon (in 2001), and I came third in the best and fairest (in 2002).
All this before I was 21. I thought this footy caper’s pretty easy. I was playing for a great club and I was playing with some of the best players to have played – (James) Hird, (Michael) Long, (Dustin) Fletcher and (Matthew) Lloyd – and getting coached by one of the masters (Kevin Sheedy).
So things were going well, and I thought if I can continue this, I’m going to have a fairly successful career. But the question really was ‘was I really appreciating how lucky I was or was I just going to continue with the rest of my career?’
And then with a simple massage at the start of 2003, everything just changed for me.
I was on the massage table and one of our masseuses was giving me a massage and she just felt a lump in my shoulder. Being only 22 at the time, you sort of think you can be pretty indestructible, nothing can be wrong here. I went to see the doctor and the doctor said ‘don’t worry about it, let’s see what happens. We’ll leave it for a month’.
So, I continued to play and train, and there were no dramas. It got to the stage where the lump was getting bigger and bigger. So into hospital I went for the first of my four operations that I’ve had on my shoulder. At first they thought it was just a benign tumour – no dramas – and I was rapt. I’d done all the rehab, come back and played footy again.
I’d played seven games and I just knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t feel right. I could still feel something around my shoulder region. I went back to the doctor, had all the tests again and found it was cancer.
I remember my surgeon ... I sat in his rooms that night, and he said: ‘Look, there’s three things that could happen here – one, you’re probably never going to play footy again; two, there’s a good chance you might lose your right arm, in terms of being able to raise it above your head; and there’s a slight chance you might die.’
Well that really didn’t sit too well with me. I was only 22 thinking I was indestructible – this can’t happen to me.
So, I stormed out of the rooms and didn’t know what to do. I was a shattered man. Anyway, cool heads prevailed. I spoke to a lot of great people at the footy club, and they helped me.
They said you need to go and have this surgery again. So I had surgery again, but this time I had to have seven weeks of radiotherapy as well, and I can tell you it’s not very enjoyable.
It’s like a terribly bad sunburn. But the position it was in – it was around the area on my neck – every time I’d move my head, my skin would break up and I’d just start to bleed.
So for a while there I was walking around with Glad Wrap and this gel stuff on my neck just to keep it all moist. Anyway, I was determined to get back. A lot of people had said to me ‘you can’t do this anymore’, or ‘there’s no way known you can do this’.
I got back. I did a month of pre-season that year and somehow in 2004 I played every game. I don’t know how I did it. ‘Sheeds’ just hid me pretty much, just played me in the back-pocket every now and then, played me off the bench, but somehow I played every game.
My health was fine. I was getting my regular check-ups. Everything was all good. And in 2005, in a stupid drill at training I did my knee. Another year out. At the time, I thought ‘well, I could do my knee any time, but if my health’s good that’s fine’ – it didn’t worry me.
I did all my rehab again for my knee, I was ready to come back, I’d just been on my honeymoon and I went for one of my regular check-ups again for MRI. The tumour was growing back.
And I remember walking out of the doctor’s surgery that day and I just sat on the steps. I was shattered. I didn’t want to tell anyone this time. I didn’t want to do anything, I just wanted to be by myself. My wife was with me, but it was as if something was taken away from me again.
I’d worked so hard to get back to playing footy, but the chance to play again had been taken away. I didn’t know why it was happening to me, I still to this day can’t work it out.
So again I went for another operation, this time a lot more invasive. This time they opened me up like open heart surgery, straight down the middle.
That was OK, the operation was fine. Now I’m having treatment at Royal Melbourne (Hospital) where I’m doing a clinical trial. I go in once a week for chemotherapy – through the needle in the arm – and that’s been great so far. I haven’t had one problem with it, side effects or anything like that.
And I also have to take a tablet every morning. I think the thing that really hits me is having to walk in and have treatment every week.
You never see the same person in there having treatment. It’s always a different face and it makes you realise there are so many people affected by this illness.
In some small way, I feel I have to somehow help them – just be there. I do what I can when I’m there. I try to get around and speak to people.
I often get asked how I’m feeling. I generally feel fantastic. I only feel unfit. I feel like an athlete that hasn’t done anything for eight months.
The other question is will I play again.
Another question I just don’t know. I’d love to say yes, but I just can’t answer that question – and nor can the people that are treating me.
So, I’ll just keep doing what I’m told and keep trying to get better.
Why am I telling you all this?
Like most of the young guys here, I thought I’d play ’til I was 30. No worries at all, not a problem in my career. All I’m saying to you is: make the most of your opportunities now. You’re the best young players in Australia at the moment, but you just don’t know what’s around the corner.
Strive to be the best you can, don’t sit back and wait for things to happen. That’s what I was doing sometimes when I first started out – sitting back and waiting for things to happen. I probably could’ve been better at the start of my career, but because I was playing with such (famous) guys I got intimidated at times.
Because before you know it, the game’s going to pass you by. You’ll be left wondering "what if" and "if only".
Seven of you have the opportunity to play finals this year. I’ve been lucky enough to play in 10 finals. And these are the games where you start building your reputation as a footballer. These are the games you remember for a long time with your teammates, coaches and supporters. And these are the games, I guess, what being an AFL footballer is all about.
Finally, footy’s all about stats now. I’ve got a few stats.
My first season was 1999.
From that list, there’s only 11 players left (at Essendon). The same year, Lenny Hayes at St Kilda, there’s six players left. (Adelaide’s) Brett Burton – eight players. The reigning premier (Sydney) – Jude Bolton; six players.
So what I’m saying is make it happen now while you have control of it, because for some of us, it just doesn’t last forever.
Poor guy,I hope all is going well for him..I would love to see him playing footy again at Essendon. :thumbsu:
And I hope the young guns who have a whole career ahead of them took this in..
love ya RAMA!!
I guess at the start of my career I was so fortunate. I played in four grand finals in three years. I won the reserves best and fairest (in 1999). I was runner-up in this great award (Rising Star in 2000). I was lucky enough to play for Australia under the great Garry Lyon (in 2001), and I came third in the best and fairest (in 2002).
All this before I was 21. I thought this footy caper’s pretty easy. I was playing for a great club and I was playing with some of the best players to have played – (James) Hird, (Michael) Long, (Dustin) Fletcher and (Matthew) Lloyd – and getting coached by one of the masters (Kevin Sheedy).
So things were going well, and I thought if I can continue this, I’m going to have a fairly successful career. But the question really was ‘was I really appreciating how lucky I was or was I just going to continue with the rest of my career?’
And then with a simple massage at the start of 2003, everything just changed for me.
I was on the massage table and one of our masseuses was giving me a massage and she just felt a lump in my shoulder. Being only 22 at the time, you sort of think you can be pretty indestructible, nothing can be wrong here. I went to see the doctor and the doctor said ‘don’t worry about it, let’s see what happens. We’ll leave it for a month’.
So, I continued to play and train, and there were no dramas. It got to the stage where the lump was getting bigger and bigger. So into hospital I went for the first of my four operations that I’ve had on my shoulder. At first they thought it was just a benign tumour – no dramas – and I was rapt. I’d done all the rehab, come back and played footy again.
I’d played seven games and I just knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t feel right. I could still feel something around my shoulder region. I went back to the doctor, had all the tests again and found it was cancer.
I remember my surgeon ... I sat in his rooms that night, and he said: ‘Look, there’s three things that could happen here – one, you’re probably never going to play footy again; two, there’s a good chance you might lose your right arm, in terms of being able to raise it above your head; and there’s a slight chance you might die.’
Well that really didn’t sit too well with me. I was only 22 thinking I was indestructible – this can’t happen to me.
So, I stormed out of the rooms and didn’t know what to do. I was a shattered man. Anyway, cool heads prevailed. I spoke to a lot of great people at the footy club, and they helped me.
They said you need to go and have this surgery again. So I had surgery again, but this time I had to have seven weeks of radiotherapy as well, and I can tell you it’s not very enjoyable.
It’s like a terribly bad sunburn. But the position it was in – it was around the area on my neck – every time I’d move my head, my skin would break up and I’d just start to bleed.
So for a while there I was walking around with Glad Wrap and this gel stuff on my neck just to keep it all moist. Anyway, I was determined to get back. A lot of people had said to me ‘you can’t do this anymore’, or ‘there’s no way known you can do this’.
I got back. I did a month of pre-season that year and somehow in 2004 I played every game. I don’t know how I did it. ‘Sheeds’ just hid me pretty much, just played me in the back-pocket every now and then, played me off the bench, but somehow I played every game.
My health was fine. I was getting my regular check-ups. Everything was all good. And in 2005, in a stupid drill at training I did my knee. Another year out. At the time, I thought ‘well, I could do my knee any time, but if my health’s good that’s fine’ – it didn’t worry me.
I did all my rehab again for my knee, I was ready to come back, I’d just been on my honeymoon and I went for one of my regular check-ups again for MRI. The tumour was growing back.
And I remember walking out of the doctor’s surgery that day and I just sat on the steps. I was shattered. I didn’t want to tell anyone this time. I didn’t want to do anything, I just wanted to be by myself. My wife was with me, but it was as if something was taken away from me again.
I’d worked so hard to get back to playing footy, but the chance to play again had been taken away. I didn’t know why it was happening to me, I still to this day can’t work it out.
So again I went for another operation, this time a lot more invasive. This time they opened me up like open heart surgery, straight down the middle.
That was OK, the operation was fine. Now I’m having treatment at Royal Melbourne (Hospital) where I’m doing a clinical trial. I go in once a week for chemotherapy – through the needle in the arm – and that’s been great so far. I haven’t had one problem with it, side effects or anything like that.
And I also have to take a tablet every morning. I think the thing that really hits me is having to walk in and have treatment every week.
You never see the same person in there having treatment. It’s always a different face and it makes you realise there are so many people affected by this illness.
In some small way, I feel I have to somehow help them – just be there. I do what I can when I’m there. I try to get around and speak to people.
I often get asked how I’m feeling. I generally feel fantastic. I only feel unfit. I feel like an athlete that hasn’t done anything for eight months.
The other question is will I play again.
Another question I just don’t know. I’d love to say yes, but I just can’t answer that question – and nor can the people that are treating me.
So, I’ll just keep doing what I’m told and keep trying to get better.
Why am I telling you all this?
Like most of the young guys here, I thought I’d play ’til I was 30. No worries at all, not a problem in my career. All I’m saying to you is: make the most of your opportunities now. You’re the best young players in Australia at the moment, but you just don’t know what’s around the corner.
Strive to be the best you can, don’t sit back and wait for things to happen. That’s what I was doing sometimes when I first started out – sitting back and waiting for things to happen. I probably could’ve been better at the start of my career, but because I was playing with such (famous) guys I got intimidated at times.
Because before you know it, the game’s going to pass you by. You’ll be left wondering "what if" and "if only".
Seven of you have the opportunity to play finals this year. I’ve been lucky enough to play in 10 finals. And these are the games where you start building your reputation as a footballer. These are the games you remember for a long time with your teammates, coaches and supporters. And these are the games, I guess, what being an AFL footballer is all about.
Finally, footy’s all about stats now. I’ve got a few stats.
My first season was 1999.
From that list, there’s only 11 players left (at Essendon). The same year, Lenny Hayes at St Kilda, there’s six players left. (Adelaide’s) Brett Burton – eight players. The reigning premier (Sydney) – Jude Bolton; six players.
So what I’m saying is make it happen now while you have control of it, because for some of us, it just doesn’t last forever.