Login
iscover
An agent is training to take on his first full Ironman challenge next month — despite him living with a hip replacement — to raise funds for the hospital that helped save the life of his newborn son.
Realmark Urban agent Jon Williams and his wife Judi are eternally grateful for the efforts of medical teams at Perth Children’s Hospital.
In April 2009, after a normal pregnancy, Judi went into labour. However, as soon as their baby boy Chase was born, it was evident that something was very wrong. Chase struggled to breathe on his own and was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
It was quickly discovered that Chase had a congenital heart defect. He had not one but two aortas, which had wrapped around his trachea and were severely restricting his ability to breathe.
Little Chase was raced into surgery to cut one of the valves. The four-hour surgery went well, and after several weeks of recuperation, he was allowed to go home.
Chase is now a happy and healthy 9-year-old, and his grateful parents wanted to give back to the hospital that has given them so much.
“I sat back and thought, what would challenge me? What would push me to a breaking point? And that’s when I came up with the Ironman challenge. I felt it was the least I could do to raise awareness for the hospital that literally changed our lives. Without them, I don’t even want to think where we would be now,” Mr Williams explained.
Mr Williams will be taking part in the Ironman 70.3 Western Australia triathlon in Busselton on 2 December.
“It’s always been in the back of my mind, and it’s always been my self-talk telling me there’s always a reason why not to do it… I just had enough of telling myself I wasn’t going to do it, and now is the time,” Mr Williams told REB.
“I still feel pretty grateful that things turned out the way they did.”
The challenge is made even greater for Jon, given that he has a hip replacement — the result of a nasty car accident in the Italian Alps and subsequent serious infection while in his mid-20s.
“My running is a bit of an unknown as I don’t run because I’ve got a hip replacement,” Mr Williams explained.
“I’ve had a couple of operations since — I’ve got a bionic hip, basically.”
Asked if he’s nervous about completing the challenge ahead of him, Mr Williams admitted: “I’ll be honest — I’m shitting myself!
“I’m by no means a professional or athlete or anything. I’m very much an amateur, but I will give it a crack anyway.”
But Mr Williams will be buoyed by the fact that Chase will be there on the day cheering him on.
You are not authorised to post comments.
Comments will undergo moderation before they get published.