Bega Roosters to auction jerseys in support of Cameron Vazzoler and Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Former players and a bumper crowd usually create a carnival atmosphere at the ground and in the pub after the final home game of the season for bush footy clubs. This game is often one to pencil in on the calendar for bush footy clubs.
This Sunday's match in the Group 16 competition between the Bega Roosters and the Cooma Stallions will have a little bit more significance than usual due to the fact that the Bega Roosters club will be auctioning off 17 specially designed jerseys and donating the proceeds to the Guillain-Barré Syndrome Foundation.
The action is being taken as a show of support for Cameron Vazzoler, who was the captain-coach of the Roosters during the season in which they won the 2022 championship. Vazzoler was diagnosed with the condition known as GBS at the end of the previous year.
About one in every 100,000 persons suffers from this condition, in which the immune system begins to systematically destroy parts of the central nervous system.
"I was told at our last game, so it was kind of done behind my back," he explained. I got teary-eyed because Guillain-Barré Syndrome is near and dear to my heart, and the club's initiative to raise awareness and funds for the condition is inspiring.
The club and wider football community have been instrumental in helping Vazzoler, who grew up in the Illawarra region and played for the Kiama Knights in the Group 7 competition before moving south at the start of 2022, by setting up a Go Fund Me page to assist with the costs of his medical care.
Vazzoler's year has been full of ups and downs; in September he led Bega to the 2022 Group 16 premiership, and then two months later he collapsed and spent five days in the intensive care unit, unable to walk without assistance.
The 24-year-old acknowledges that he had some tense times immediately following the incident, but insists that he is in a much better position now.
Healing is progressing nicely. As of the day before yesterday, I am nine months into my fitness journey and roughly at 70-80% strength in the gym. It's all coming back nice and slowly, but it's going nicely," he remarked, adding that he had just lately resumed running.
It's a really uncommon illness, so I didn't know much about it when it first kind of happened. But I realised how serious it was when the doctors were talking to me, so I allocated myself nine to eighteen months for a full recovery, and I'm on track with that estimate.
The mental toll of the aftermath of the diagnoses and recuperation has been just as significant as the physical one.
"It was rough going in the beginning. "It was a pretty big shock to go from being a very fit and active person to suddenly not being able to walk," he added.
"Over the past few months, I've started going back to work and hitting the gym, both of which have made things a lot simpler for me. In order to accomplish a full recovery, there is still a long way to go; nevertheless, doing those things makes it a lot simpler.
Although there has been some encouraging development, Vazzoler believes there is still a significant amount of space for additional healing.
Since my feet and calves are the farthest from my brain, the nerves in those areas take the longest to recuperate and fire up. Because of this, elite speed, agility, and other skills will be the last to return.
The ace halfback, though, is thinking about getting back to playing football soon like any real champion.
"Next year, I would like to play for sure. It's been nine months, and there are still nine months before the football season starts next year. I've come a long way in the past nine months, so I just need to keep up with my rehab and listen to the physio, and hopefully, I'll be back at round one next year.