WEBVTT - #56 | Mark Hughes 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.400 Thank you to all of our listeners who continue to 0:00:02.440 --> 0:00:04.440 listen to us. Look, if you're enjoying the podcast, just 0:00:04.480 --> 0:00:06.680 do us a favorite. Hit that follow button on your 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:08.319 podcast app right now. 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:09.760 It helps us bring your great. 0:00:09.640 --> 0:00:12.680 New episodes and make sure that you won't miss anything. 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.840 Whether you're on Spotify, Apple Podcast or anywhere else. Just 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:19.680 tap follow or subscribe and stay in the loop. Anyway, guys, 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:22.400 cheers start however you lost you know, hughsy Jack might 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:24.720 pull me up a little bit. I've got I tend 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:29.200 to wheeze get We get complaints through from people. 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:31.640 What are the odds of that? Look, who's ringing me? 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:34.440 That's Joey Andrew Joey. 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.000 Have you seen Fabe brother recently? 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:38.200 I haven't seen him for a while. 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:41.280 It's sort of just skims across society. 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.440 It's a busy viewod for him through origin period. 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:45.120 Well apparently yeah. 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:47.159 In fact, it's so busy oftentimes he has to have 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:49.320 two weeks off work after it and go to the 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:52.000 Maldives to surf. I mean it's hard work. You know, 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:54.959 people think playing is hard. I mean to commentate, that's 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:55.920 where the action is. 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:57.240 Hugh'sy. 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:00.400 This is an incredibly busy couple of weeks for you. 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:04.400 So what's a what's a week entail the week leading 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:05.880 into the beneaf of brainking. 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:09.080 So yeah, lots of great support Mattie, first and foremost, 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:13.319 the the NRL tidal wave of support which started about 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:15.720 seven years ago for Beanie for brain cancer around really 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:18.600 lifted us to a new level. It was just amazing. 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.640 So yeah, just just I go to schools, I go 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.679 to workplaces. You know, there's a lot of schools doing beanies, 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:25.800 which is great. 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:27.000 I do. 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:30.240 Yeah, looks good, looks good. 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:32.240 You should you should you have a sort of bringing 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:35.679 out a match, use salundation, do rag Maybe. 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:39.360 It almost looks like one right now. You might want 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:41.440 to retry that calm, maybe spin it around a little 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:43.560 bit as well. There we go there. 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:46.040 I did think of the balaclava range. 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:51.720 Really good coming up on the NBA news. 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:58.160 Lots of brand awareness, oh yeah, lots of great things 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:01.480 getting done and the NRL. Yeah, just it's just amazing. 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:05.080 So you know, gett into appearances, get into games on 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:08.520 the round, the networks all get behind us. It's crazy 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:09.440 but good. Crazy. 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:10.680 How many people you employed? Now? 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:14.760 We have four part time staff, which I'm very proud of. 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:19.960 I'm a full volunteer. I tell people flexible hours, but 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:21.639 the hourly rate needs a review. 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:24.720 Yeah, gotcha, now what you're talking about? 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:27.840 Yeah, yeah, So I'm very proud to be a volunteer 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:30.359 and we're run by the big heart of volunteers. They 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:33.320 pack beanies, they go to go to shops and sell 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:35.959 our stuff. There's so many volunteers that make this go 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:39.079 around and I think people like that and they get 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:41.720 that that the money is going to the right places. 0:02:41.720 --> 0:02:45.840 There's no brand ambassador and all these different tags. There's 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.880 this four amazing staff at Hamilton that you get it 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:49.280 all done. 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:51.480 It's incredible. Like the last ten years, you guys have 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.520 sold over a million beanies, tens of millions of dollars. 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:57.680 And the big thing is in rugby league to everyone 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:01.919 gets around it. Like you know, I've twenties reserve grade, 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:05.120 you know, all sorts of grades, and every grade during 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:07.560 that week always chuck sabeni on, no matter what team 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:10.240 they are. It's a really proud round for rugby league. 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:12.840 I think it's become a great tradition that I think 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:15.639 everyone in rugby league agrees on. It doesn't happen too often. Yeah, 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:19.320 it doesn't matter there's always blues Queensland, there's always these 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:22.560 rivalries and that. But I feel like everyone is in 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.000 the grands that brain cancer needs a bit of a help. 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.639 And I think it's been a great tradition and there's 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.040 probably kids now that would never remember nothing else but 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:32.080 Beanie around and I think it's just part of the 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:35.240 fabric now. And you know, nothing that we take for granted, 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:36.920 but it's it's super. 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:40.240 I stopped to I actually forgot to declare something is 0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:44.480 that people? Jack Johns is he's away from behind the 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.720 edit tweet and cutting up. He today's gone from producer 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:52.320 to star at the show. Younger bloke Cooper Hughsey is 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:56.360 in Darwin Cooper exactly Cooper and he. 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:57.640 Actually make he is filthy. 0:03:58.000 --> 0:04:00.920 He keeps, he keeps calling Jack and I are going, 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:04.640 Oh listen, make the conversation with Hughesy just short. I 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:07.119 just talk on like the beney for brain cancer. Don't 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.280 talk about his career, wait till I am back. 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:11.600 He died. 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:14.160 Let's dive real deep. 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:17.000 Yeah, he's got a massive poe Like you know, you're 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:18.960 a favorite. You're one of the favorite guests as well. 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:21.000 One of the blokes have known us since we're kids. 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:24.120 So well, funny, Jack, I was thinking this morning that 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:26.760 we won the Grand Final in ninety seven, and I 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:29.599 felt like it was a week later. We had Jack's 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:33.520 wet the baby's head, that's right. Yeah, so we all 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:34.280 gather at the. 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:35.160 Wash tub, was it? 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:36.080 I can't. 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:40.880 I think I feel like a few a few blurry times. 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:44.200 But we all assembled, big celebration. I remember I had 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:47.159 to work the next day. I went massive night and 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:49.240 I was working at tube Makers. The boys all hit 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.039 me away and tucked me into a little room and 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:54.960 I had had a sleep, So I celebrated. I celebrated. Yeah, 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:56.680 we celebrated you pretty hard, mate. 0:04:56.800 --> 0:05:00.120 Thanks mate, I really appreciate it. Surely wasn't the like 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:03.000 fantastic grand filing is one and a couple of weeks earlier? 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:04.400 Was it that was in the. 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:06.840 Background ten days earlier? Jack? 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:09.040 And you know, for people who listened to that when 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:12.560 what you just say said there is highly unusual these days, 0:05:12.560 --> 0:05:15.120 well it just doesn't happen. You play a Grand Final 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:17.039 and then a few days later you've got to go 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:19.000 back to work in tube makers and let people know 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:22.360 tube makers was like it was a stool industry. 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:24.919 Yeah, sure, it was Maddie and Darren Albott was the same. 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:27.400 He was an apprentice electrician and I was a fitter 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.520 and turner. So we would work and then as I 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:32.839 started gettingto first grade, we had to your clock in 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:34.640 as you go in. Then we'll clocking out and going 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:37.719 and do kicking and catching practice and coming back on 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:40.200 and off. And I did a bit of shift work, 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:42.839 so I would do night shift, then i'd go straight 0:05:42.880 --> 0:05:45.400 to the gym, then I'd go back to Curry and sleep. 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:47.599 Then i'd come back in the afternoon and train, go 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:50.159 back to Curry and rest and then do it all again. 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:50.719 Incredible. 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:53.680 It was good because it was giving me that mental 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:58.000 toughness and you know, to really appreciate. People used to 0:05:58.000 --> 0:05:59.880 say you're always smiling, You're always happy, because I was. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.520 I was living a dream and it was a lot. 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:05.479 The dream was a long way away for a fair 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:08.359 time for me, but then it changed really quickly. But 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:10.359 I was getting ready for work life, which was a 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:12.919 fitter machinist, an average one at that, but that's what 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:13.400 I was doing. 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:14.320 Now. 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:18.520 What was the reaction when you and Albi, Darren Albert 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.160 who was the hero and that scholled that final try 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:23.480 what was the reaction when you boys walk back into 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:25.080 the next shift after winning the Grand Final? 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:30.719 Look, it was it was you know, this is a tradesman. 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.760 Just blokes, blue collar blokes. They just they loved it. 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:37.120 You know, we had hundreds of blogs and they were, 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:39.400 you know, just having fun with them and talking about 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:40.680 it and they all wanted to know about it. And 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:43.760 I still run into these blokes now and they all say, 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:46.080 we work with you at Chievemaker's House, Albi and all that, 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:48.719 And it was really great times to be right in 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:52.880 amongst the community. Yeah, you know, whilst that rugby league 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:54.520 bubble was there, but I was still in that. 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:59.760 Yeah, we'll check Denny, my late brother in law. Yeah, 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:02.200 he he worked with you at Tube Maka's the ooce 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:02.600 of sale. 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:02.920 Time. 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:06.080 Saw hughs again today because he made he was a minimalist, 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:08.720 Yeah he was. Danny was the sort of guy I 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:12.600 loved him because he's I've never met a person who 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:15.800 was so comfortable in silence and he just can't come in. 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:16.800 He just walked in and said, may. 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:19.840 Want to be or anything, Danny Now, I'm sweet And 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.400 as much as big a conversation I had was like 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:27.560 been working with Usley lately. Oh you Dan as he young, bloody, 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:30.040 good bloke us conversation. 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.080 Just a context to Danny looked exactly like Red Dagan 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:36.960 to a point where I think it was it might 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.880 have been Danny's fiftieth or sixtieth and Dad rocked up 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:42.480 dressed as Red d Reagan as his brother. He was 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:43.600 a good man, Danny, He was a. 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:47.239 Good I was thinking, Maddie. We did the in Search 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:51.160 of the Holy Grail, a short a short video, remember 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:51.760 that that was. 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:54.400 That was for the Newcastle Short Film Festival and they 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:55.960 asked us to do and that's where Red Drag. 0:07:56.680 --> 0:07:57.160 Oh wow. 0:07:57.800 --> 0:08:00.840 So Crowey was the narrator and he assembled groom. Joey 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:04.560 was Bruno Snideley. It was a card shark. He was sinister. 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:08.040 He had this big mustache, a real sinister character. Then 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:12.280 there was reg I throw back to the eighties and 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:19.320 there was me and Matt Gidley were two sailors on Shorty. Yeah. 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:21.960 We're all searching for Holy Greiley, which was which was 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:27.280 the off this cup We had that hidden away and 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:31.560 we were going through Newcastle searching for this piece. 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:33.840 Of We had to put all our own soundtrack on, 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:35.720 so we had Stevie wonder. 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:37.880 It was so good. But Maddie walks into the pub 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:40.760 and I think this is where Regeme started, and he 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:43.280 just come up with this great dialogue. I'll have some 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:46.840 crisps TB and some rollies. Please don't. 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:53.040 Get a at a two years old, a packet of 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:55.320 smokes and a packet of crisps. 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:59.360 Was born. And then we're filming all this stuff. It 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.319 was so fun, but I think that just showed that, Yeah, 0:09:02.320 --> 0:09:03.640 they're great fun we used to have. 0:09:04.440 --> 0:09:05.640 When did you hide it? 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:06.800 Where did you just hide the cup? 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:09.360 The Obeliska is the highest point in Newcastle. We just 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:11.240 planned it was going to be planted up there and 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:14.040 we just filmed as we went up there someone so someone. 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:18.839 Could have went past and holy fuck, yeah screen, I 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:21.400 hope someone's guarding it at least Husy. 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.720 Okay, just I want to ask you this question Feusy 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:31.800 and the diagnosis originally, and I can imagine you've said 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:34.600 this million times, but people will listen, be listening to 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:37.200 this story for the very first time. So Mate, your 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:40.520 flying life scale fantastic. The news must have hit you 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:42.720 like a ton of bricks. What were the first signs? 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:46.680 Yeah, I was thirty six, Maddie flying high, feeling fit. 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:48.920 Been out of footy for five or six years, but 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:52.160 life was going great. Had three children under ten, beautiful wife. Yeah, 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:55.160 everything was great. Then I just had headaches for a 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:58.199 day and it put me in bed, which was unusual. 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.880 And then I woke up the next morning headaches again. 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:03.760 Kiraly said, nah, you need to just go and get 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:05.600 this checked out. And I thought, oh, well, this is 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:07.640 a migrain, not a problem. We'll get a couple of 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:10.800 tablets and keep going. And the doctor was a bit 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:13.640 funny when I went and saw him, and he said 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:15.840 we might just go get a scan. So I ducked 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:18.800 in and got a scan just on my own, and 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.199 that was the last ever scan I've had. Alarm. Kirale 0:10:22.280 --> 0:10:25.240 has been with me ever since because that scan. From 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:29.400 that moment, everything changed. It's like, quick, get everyone in. 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:32.360 You know you've got to You've got a tumor, and 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:34.880 you just go what You've got got a brain tumor, 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:39.520 So yeah, so your life can change really quick. And 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:41.840 out of that waited a couple of weeks. Then John 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:45.400 hunt a hospital and had the tumor removed. And you're 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:48.199 still hopeful. I got that positive mindset of it's not 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:50.960 a it's not cancer. We'll just get it out and 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:54.600 play on. But then the doctor took us in a 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:57.480 week later and simply said to us, you know, I'm sorry, Mark, 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.840 you've got a high grade brain cancer. And that's the 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:03.199 words we just couldn't hear. We got Todd you you 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:07.000 just can't hear that there's different grades. But so yeah, 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:10.199 definitely life, life really changed. That's husic. 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:14.720 When a person gets a diagnosis, oftentimes the doctor will 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:18.280 present the scenarios and just go right out at best 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:22.559 and worst. What was the At worst. 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:25.400 We had a go We had to say that you 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:28.000 get your affairs in order, you need to sort that out. 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:30.840 There's just no guarantees here with what you've got. It 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:33.559 was really it was pretty tough and not the stuffing 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.640 out of us and Kiraly. So we went and saw 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:39.080 the experts, some other people in Sydney who were top 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:41.600 of their field, and they gave us a bit of 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.240 hope with a few readings out of my tumor that 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:46.280 they said, hey, there's some really good hope with this. 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.560 We're finding this, this percentage of this or you know, 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:52.720 there's all these different readings in a chum. So, yeah, 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:54.120 that just give us a bit of hope, and that 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:55.680 was enough for me to sort of pick up the 0:11:55.679 --> 0:11:57.640 ball and start running again. 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:03.400 Oftentimes, people, I think, at the most difficult moments or 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:08.320 you know, I heard people say when they're putting a 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:13.160 life threatening situation like you were, they have moments of 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:16.079 just perfect clarity, you know, and how they look back 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:19.680 at their lives and whatnot. What would there any moments 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:21.200 like that for you. 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:25.080 You do a lot of thinking and whether it's forward 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.319 thinking or look thinking back, so you do reflect a lot. 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:30.160 And I had a lot of time to reflect. You know, 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:33.160 you can't drive your car for eight months, you're not 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:35.199 leaving the harm too often, so you're doing a lot 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:39.560 of reflecting and thinking. And it was Yeah, I was 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:43.760 certainly grateful for the life I'd had, but I just 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.400 love life so much. I just wanted to keep going 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:48.679 and do a lot more of it, you know. So 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:53.480 there was a really anxious feel about it, really really anxious. 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:57.480 So it was a really just tough time. And that's 0:12:57.280 --> 0:13:00.360 the way your family and friends, they or react different 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:03.680 and knocks them around as well, so your whole life 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:04.880 gets gets flipped. 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:09.600 And sorry, Jack and Jack just dropped his notes. They 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:10.560 feel free to pick him up. 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.560 Brother, I've got to memorize man. Okay, actually I got 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:15.840 I do actually have something for his usual because you 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:17.760 know something similar like I've had a few beers with 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:20.240 your son, Zack, your oldest. He's a good fella and 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:22.319 you know, obviously that night had to take care of 0:13:22.400 --> 0:13:25.600 Crowley more than Zach. But yeah, I always think about 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:27.679 these sorts of things when people get bad news like this, 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:31.600 Like Tri Trish was diagnosed with cancer twenty twelve, and 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:33.360 she always says, now and I look back at it, 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.440 and I would have been around a bit older than 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:37.480 Za would have been, about thirteen fourteen at the time, 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:40.720 and she always says, I got quite intrinsic after that, 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:42.559 like for that through that period, especially when she was 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:45.959 going through chemo and whatnot. What about Zach, like as 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:48.480 the eldest of the family, got Dane and Bonnie as well, Like, 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:50.120 did he wear a lot of that. 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:52.679 Yeah, he was only young, but he was having a 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:56.000 little bit of childhood epilepsy at the time and that 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:59.000 was bringing that on a lot. Yeah, so there's a 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:00.719 lot more of that going on. Bring the ambulance a 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:04.120 few times, just everything was happening at once, and I 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:06.719 think it was the stress and the strain of what 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:08.800 it was going on would have caused a lot of that. 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:10.920 So but then the kids are a bit younger, and 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:15.400 then I quickly the positivity and the way I sort 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:19.200 of conducted myself help help helps everyone around you. And 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:23.240 I wasn't kicking stones. I was getting ready to launch 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:29.120 into a charity and fight back. Ecusey just last. 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:30.840 Before we move on to some of the good times 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:32.640 and stuff that you never done through the charity lot, 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:33.440 the tricks. 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:35.520 Status quo. 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:39.200 You've gone for skins today, a house things. 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:41.760 Yeah, got a great scan. I'm so grateful. I have 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.720 one every about four months and go down the specialists 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:47.840 and you get that done. So yeah, it's always a relief. 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:50.360 And I'm like, I'm ten years down the track. I'm 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:52.720 so blessed and lucky. There's so many that don't get 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:56.000 the opportunities that I get. So I'm feeling fit, I'm 0:14:56.040 --> 0:15:00.440 feeling energized. I'm here for a reason to really keep 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.440 kicking on and helping make a difference and give hope 0:15:03.800 --> 0:15:06.640 to people with brain cancer. And with the NRL community 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:09.120 behind us, that's what we've done with. We've given some 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:09.960 real hope out there. 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:12.280 Can I ask you you to like you've done so well, 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.440 like ten years on, it's pretty incredible. Do you have 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:16.200 any tips of people out there that might be going 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:19.640 through it that you know changes to your lifestyle, minimalistic 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:21.560 sort of things that always help you in the day 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:21.920 to day. 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:25.880 I think simply I like to say, just make today count, 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.880 you know, don't worry about down the track. Can't change yesterday, 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:32.000 So just just try and do your best today, to 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:34.200 make the best day you can today. Then wake up 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:37.240 and do it again. But if you're continually dwelling on 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.480 the future or worrying about what's happened, it's going to 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:42.520 weigh where you're down. So I think that's just a 0:15:42.640 --> 0:15:43.560 nice simple. 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.080 That's interesting what you say there too, Like do you 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.280 think that if you know it can be positive, it 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:51.360 can impact you a lot more negatively if you have 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:55.040 those negative, negative thoughts, whereas you've had a very positive outlook. 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:57.800 Do you think that positive outlooks actually had a physical 0:15:57.920 --> 0:15:58.560 impact on you. 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:00.880 Oh, for sure, you know. I've looked up on it, 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:04.680 and we become our thoughts. So if you're always negative 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:06.760 and down, you're going to have to come across that person. 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:09.800 So I feel like you need to control your thoughts 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:12.640 a bit and really try and focus on being grateful, happy, 0:16:13.440 --> 0:16:15.200 positive and makes a difference. 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:15.760 Well too hugely. 0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:18.000 Through the Foundation, you've had plenty of good times, one 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.120 of which is every single year you've done that the trecks. 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:22.200 Yes to the players, what are you doing this year? 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:24.880 Yeah, we're going to go across to Kakoda. We're going 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:28.480 to walk across and back. So it's going to be huge, Mattie. 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:30.480 So it's about two hundred k's. But the thing about 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:33.800 co Coda it's either up or down. It's even muddy, 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:36.440 it's even hod or really cold, really high. So yeah, 0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:38.400 it's going to be a great challenge. So that's our 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.840 big one. You know, Chief and Billy Peedam came up 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:45.320 with the idea of challenging ourselves whilst raising money and. 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:46.800 It's been those two blocks. 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:51.400 Yeah, that's so typical. I mean a lot of the 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:55.400 traits that our teammates had on the field they've just 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:59.200 brought across to the Foundation, you know, like and it's 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:02.440 just been it's like you do great things in rugby league. 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:05.560 But the way that my former teammates have bound around. 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:08.720 What I'm trying to do is really the best thing 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.639 I've got out of rugby league for sure. And the 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:13.600 treks are a great way for us to get away. 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:18.080 And I'll highlight we did Everest, Maddie and. 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:23.720 I twenty seventeen, was that? What mean twenty and I might. 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:27.159 Try go there? We are. We had beaver Menzies we 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:30.520 did too. We had the beaver We had chief we 0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:35.440 Hads like Russell Richardson and the Ghidli Boys, Bedsillie Boy. 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:37.440 And what a way to bond. There was so many 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:39.560 people that I've never met before. But by the time 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:42.000 you're leaving Catman do everyone like you know, they're all 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:42.720 our best mates. 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:46.120 Yeah, you know, a policeman train account and all these 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:49.800 people come together as one in a team. And we 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:53.719 had a like doing Everest, Maddie. It's it's just like 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:57.359 on the world stage, isn't it. It's just it's challenging, 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:00.600 it's hard, but it's fun and we we had the 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:01.040 best time. 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:06.600 Oh, it's fantastic. A couple of boys were lucky, like Crowey. 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:09.360 Let people know Crowey is the sort of guy and 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:13.959 you know, people react different to altitude and they told us, 0:18:14.840 --> 0:18:16.960 just be very mindful of the person that you're knocking 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.720 around with in the tea rooms, like you're in pairs. 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:21.800 Just keep an eye on him, make sure they're not 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:26.119 sleeping too long. And started noticing Crowe. He was like 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:30.240 really really struggling. Anyway, They did a oxygen count on 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.240 him and it was so low and they said no, no, 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:35.440 there's no more for you, and made he wouldn't he 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:37.760 wouldn't have it, just kept going and made he was 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:39.639 They nearly had to put him in a chopper and 0:18:39.680 --> 0:18:40.720 send him back to CapMan do. 0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:43.760 Yeah, he collapsed on the bench in them wearing a 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.480 tea room full of people across the world. We're starting 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:48.520 to get a bit nervous. A couple of people vomiting. 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:52.760