Thursday, October 06, 2011The CitizenFollow
LUKE Narraway's weekly column is brought to you in association with the rugby charity Wooden Spoon.

NATHAN'S TALE IS INSPIRING BUT ALF STEWART HE IS NOT

​
Nathan Charles
• •
WE OFTEN associate a team of modern athletes with being in peak condition and the epitome of health.

This is often true, but on occasions there are rules against that thumb.

Cystic fibrosis, more commonly known as CF, is a recessive genetic disease that affects the entire body, causing progressive disability and often early death.

I know this because earlier on this week one of our team-mates took the brave centre stage of our meeting room and gave a brief insight into his life and the challenges he has experienced in his short 22 years.

Nathan Charles was diagnosed with this disorder at three months old, but does he let it disable him?

Well, by the age of 22 he has been involved with Gloucester, Western Force and Australia’s preliminary World Cup squad…that would suggest otherwise!

I would never want to embarrass him and the daily challenges he encounters, but one of his main goals right now is to raise awareness for CF worldwide – being the only professional rugby player with the disorder.

He took on an ambassador role for the charity Cystic Fibrosis Australia 18 months ago and has done many advertisement campaigns back home to raise such awareness.

He even showed us a brief video (which apparently is on youtube) showcasing his acting skills.

Let’s put it this way....I don’t think Home and Away will be calling any time soon!

What I find amazing about the man is that he didn’t take on the presentation so we would feel sorry for him or so the coaches would pick him in next week’s game. In fact quite the opposite, simply to raise awareness.

He admitted to only making it public 18 months ago when he took on the ambassador role for exactly that reason.

He doesn’t want any special treatment or anybody treating him differently. All he wants is to be an equal within a team.

Nath leaves us next week for a week’s break in Germany and then back to start pre-season with the Force, so no rest for the wicked!

I would like to say on behalf of everyone at Gloucester Rugby that it’s been a pleasure knowing you Nath, albeit for a short time, and I’m sure one day our paths will meet again.

Cystic Fibrosis Australia and the UK’s Cystic Fibrosis Trust fund research into the disease, the chief aim being to find a cure for the condition.

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co....ail/story.html