When Nathan Davis thinks back over the past few years he remembers a time when he wasn’t allowed to swim, climb trees or do outdoor activities.
The 10-year-old was diagnosed with epilepsy four years ago, after his family found him unconscious on the floor at home.
“He’s had a pretty rough couple of years, the epilepsy came out of nowhere,” his mum Stacey says.
The months that followed resulted in large seizures, which were eventually brought under control by medication.
“After we found him unconscious, they found swelling on his brain which they think was caused by a flu he had."
A couple of months later he started having seizures - his first one on New Year’s Day 2019.
“We got taken to Christchurch for lots of tests, then he had a big seizure in May 2020."
Following that, he was put on medication which Stacey says was really successful.
“It’s been two years now since he had a seizure,” she says.
“It’s been a bit of a rough road, but we’re kind of like a ‘get on with it’ whānau. He reminds us of that every day, you’ve just got to keep moving forward.”
Fast-forward to Sunday, and Nathan was proud to have just completed the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon. He was one of 1500 students from the Top of the South to take part this year.
“I found it hard, I was relieved and tired when I crossed the finish line,” the Nayland School pupil says.
Stacey and Nathan have enjoyed training for the TRYathlon, biking to the airport and then going for a run together before biking home.
He says he found the run the hardest on Sunday, but managed to sprint to the finish line with his wider whānau cheering him on.
The TRYathlon finished off a busy week for Nathan, having been on school camp and competing in an inter-school swimming competition.
Nathan is now waiting for the next part of his journey which will see him undergo an operation at Starship Hospital in Auckland for swelling in his cheeks. While he’s a little nervous, he says he and mum will head up a few days early to ensure they squeeze in some fun activities before surgery.
Stacey says Nathan has remained positive and hasn’t let his health affect his drive to play sports.
Nathan plays rugby for Marist, which creates healthy contention in their household, with Waimea supporters also under the same roof.
“We’ve got lots of green and red in our house,” Stacey jokes.
Nathan is looking forward to the season kicking off, and will be ready to claim a win over Waimea for bragging rights.
