Turbo's own man...Jarryd (left) and his brother, Liam (right), are passionate Sea Eagles supporters.
An amazing act of kindness could well see Sea Eagles supporter Jarryd Haines and his best mate, Mark Smith, earn a trip to Monaco.
Jarryd and his best friend, Mark are in the running to win the prestigious ‘Laureus Best Sporting Moment of The Year’.
It certainly is a story worth sharing and one a proud uncle, Anthony Haines, wanted to share about his nephew, Jarryd, who he describes as a ‘passionate Manly Supporter’.
“In April 2013, about two weeks before his ninth birthday, Mark was diagnosed with metastasised medulloblastoma throughout his brain and spine,’’ Anthony wrote in a letter to the Sea Eagles.
“He underwent a 15 hour surgery to remove the two largest tumours from the base of his brain and the top of his spine.
“Mark then had 30 full strength, full brain and spine radiotherapy sessions under general anaesthetic and four rounds of chemotherapy with stem cell therapy.
“In October 2014, he underwent further brain surgery to remove a second type of brain cancer.
“Despite all this and the poor prognosis, Mark survived. However, as a result of the cancer and treatment, Mark has been left legally blind and hearing impaired, amongst other things.
“In September this year, Mark was at an AFL game, sitting with Jarryd. Mark uses a radio to listen to the commentary, but this stopped working so Jarryd commentated the game for Mark.
“Another supporter saw this and loved it, so tweeted a comment and it went viral.”
The Laureus World Sports Awards have nominated Mark and Jarryd for the Best Sporting Moment of the Year. To be eligible to go to Monaco for the final in February, 2018, they need to come first in the public voting for this month.
“They are up against some stiff competition, but are currently running second. They need all the support they can get.”
Visit www.mylaureus.com to watch their story 'My Best Mate' and vote for the boys.
