Some of Aotearoa’s biggest businesses and sport stars are exercising to raise money and awareness for tamariki living with serious health conditions.
Rugby league legend Ruben Wiki was among the crowd at Ngā Ana Wai (Eden Park), participating in his first Rebel Sport 24 Hour Challenge in support of Cure Kids - our country’s largest charitable funder of child health research.
“I just had an open heart surgery eight weeks ago, so that’s why it’s pretty special to me that I can give back to these kids that are going through it at a young age,” he says.
The event launched on Tuesday afternoon, challenging participants to keep an exercise machine (bike or treadmill) moving continuously for 24 hours - a physical challenge supporting the health challenges these Kiwi kids face every day.
From humble beginnings at Rebel Sport’s Morningside store in 2021, the kaupapa has now grown into a major annual event with 23 teams made up of Cure Kids’ partners, businesses and supporters.
Cure Kids chief excecutive Frances Soutter says,“[The event involves] people in a fun and active way to fundraise and put our bodies on the line instead of the kids having to.”
Joining Wiki were fellow Match Fit teammates and Kiwi sporting icons like Paul Whatuira, Lesley Vanikolo, Pita Alatini and Eroni Clarke.
The event was especially significant for Cure Kids ambassador Corin Copeland, who has competed in every Rebel Sport 24 Hour Challenge so far. He spent his 15th birthday participating alongside his whānau.
Copeland has a rare genetic condition that causes the arteries in his body to close, resulting in major blockages in many parts of his circulatory system.
“I was born with a genetic heart disease. So basically [every] month I’m in hospital doing checkups regularly,” he says.
Corin’s father, John, emphasises the importance of Cure Kids’ research, as very little is known about his son’s heart condition, which doesn’t have an official medical term.
“It’s only one in 40 reported cases of Corin’s condition. [He] recently had a big open-heart [surgery] in April,” John says.
“For research - [it] would be awesome if we could find something. [If] it’s not for Corin it’s for all the other kids throughout the country.”
John describes his son as an eager teenager, whose day-to-day life is greatly impacted by his illness.
“[He] wants to chuck a ball around all the time and run around as any normal 15 year-old does. We’ve just had to hold him back a lot.”
Corin was thrilled with the turnout this year.
“It just shows that people care about kids like me.”
Following his recent heart surgery, Wiki encourages all whānau to take good care of their hauora (health) - especially Māori and Pasifika, who are often over-represented in cardiovascular disease statistics.
“You only get one shot at life, so make sure your regular checkups - especially in your 40′s and 50′s,” he says.
“Don’t be staunch - just go get a check.”
Cure Kids set a target of $240,000 this year, and say every dollar raised will help make a difference to the lives of children like Corin.
“The beautiful country that we are, we should be quite ashamed of the health statistics that we’ve got in New Zealand - third-world diseases like rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease which really impact some of our tamariki,” Soutter says.
“We’re really passionate about the kids who need our help most. So those who are most vulnerable and have inequitable access to healthcare.”
For more information, visit the Cure Kids website.