Latest / The KIIS Breakfast Wrap with Chris, Amy & Jack / 🏈 "I want to be around as long as I can for my daughter" Jai Arrow opens up about diagnosis

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🏈 "I want to be around as long as I can for my daughter" Jai Arrow opens up about diagnosis · The KIIS Breakfast Wrap with Chris, Amy & Jack

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: For what does the future look like for you?
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: You know?
• 0:04
  Speaker 3: So is to let peom No, I'm okay and I
• 0:09
  Speaker 3: am ready for five.
• 0:13
  Speaker 4: And we are with you in that fight, sirge I
• 0:16
  Speaker 4: Arrow Rugby League star, former Sydney South Sydney RABBITO, former
• 0:20
  Speaker 4: Gold Coast Titan, former Brisbane Bronco, former Queensland State of
• 0:24
  Speaker 4: Origin player. Wow, how are you, sir?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm really good.
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: You know, obviously got a little bit on my playing
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: at the moment, but yeah, look, it is what it is,
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: and I'm ready, as I said to you know, given
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: everything I got and find the basard.
• 0:47
  Speaker 4: Of it's such a bastard of a disease. You're right,
• 0:52
  Speaker 4: of course. Neil Danaher he called it the beast. Yeah,
• 0:55
  Speaker 4: and our thoughts are with Neil Donaher and with the
• 0:57
  Speaker 4: Danaher family after his tragic past seen this year. However,
• 1:02
  Speaker 4: I mean, when you get diagnosed with something as horrific
• 1:06
  Speaker 4: as MND mode on your own disease, Joe, what were
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: the signs? When did you first know that something wasn't
• 1:13
  Speaker 4: quite right?
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah? I noticed.
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: My shuenre was twitching and a lot of weakness, and
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: then I was trying to my partner brain about it before,
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: but I noticed a lot of things leading up to that.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: That was a major sign for me.
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: Throughout the year, I didn't really feel the same playing
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: I felt a week I felt, yeah, not myself. And
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: then yeah, my shen was gone and went some of
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: the phisio and I didn't know what time I Meanyboddy
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: lied to me.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: But it was really worrying, and.
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: You know, I went to the neuro and and then yeah,
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: now I don't know how and third is vain. I
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: found myself here. So yeah, every day there good. And
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: I've always said only me.
• 2:18
  Speaker 5: What went with the twitching? Is that what you felt?
• 2:20
  Speaker 5: That was the main symptom?
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and weakness in my showenre that was the main
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: And then when I noticed my speech started to go,
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: That's when I.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: Was like, oh right, buddy, what is it going on here?
• 2:35
  Speaker 5: Does it take them a long time to actually say
• 2:37
  Speaker 5: to you officially you've got MND.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: So I went to the new in November and I
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: only got a diagnosed on the fourtieth of May.
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: Yeah, did you did you believe it? Because I know
• 2:53
  Speaker 4: the physio was you know, probably trying was worried, was
• 2:55
  Speaker 4: trying not to make the panic, but you're thirty years
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: of age, You're one of the fittest humans on earth.
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: What what?
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Why? How? Well? I don't know.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's one of those weird words where it is
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: what it needs to me at the moment, and kind
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: of when you know my speech had to go, that's
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: when I was like, oh no, there is something really wrong.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: But I was going to move about it. I wasn't
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: gonna sit around cry and doing me wrong. I have moments,
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: but I don't do that around my daughter or my
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: min or family. I'm more focused on, you know, my
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: sense of you are my have fun enjoying life as
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: much as I can in the moment, and it's pretty
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: easy with the amount of support that It's been very.
• 3:54
  Speaker 5: Overwarman since you released the news, because it been surprising.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: I didn't know that many people are me.
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: I thought, you know, finding the ral is probably one
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: of the most well, not one of the most, but
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: I was quite disliked in a way.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: I was.
• 4:15
  Speaker 4: I was you could be pesty. I'm a Broncos fan.
• 4:24
  Speaker 4: Brian's die hard, so I've followed your whole career.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: The word is grum.
• 4:28
  Speaker 4: The word is very, very grubby. But when you're planning
• 4:31
  Speaker 4: for the broncos I loved it. When you went and
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: went away from us.
• 4:33
  Speaker 5: I was like, really, so the support from the NRL
• 4:37
  Speaker 5: community has been amazing.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Not even that like Australia.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: It's been surreal and overwhelming, and I am forever grateful
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: for you know what, everyone is normal for me right
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: now and well, from the bottom of mine, I am grateful.
• 4:58
  Speaker 5: Was there a part of you that wanted to not
• 5:00
  Speaker 5: talk about it? Was there a decision to come out
• 5:03
  Speaker 5: and talk about it publicly or how did this come about?
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: No, I'm pretty I'm pretty honestly, and look and my
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: job in there or was obviously playm you know, inspire
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: young being more to want to do that as well,
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: and hasn't changed for me even though you know I'm
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: dealt with a pretty heavy disease. If I can make
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: a change, you know, to anyone turfering with this, and.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: I will be doing that, and I will.
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: Be continuing, sorry, continuing to put a smile or be
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: with faces.
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: I don't I don't think. I don't think you can
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: do anything about that. And just to reflect personally on
• 5:48
  Speaker 4: the times that you've put many smiles on my face
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: jar because you had one of or some of the
• 5:55
  Speaker 4: objectively ugliest haircuts going around in footage, like your haircuts
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: stuff of legends. What what was going through your mind
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: when you're doing that? Because we can reflect on the
• 6:06
  Speaker 4: career now because tragically we've had to retire a bit.
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: But let's let's let's look at those good points. Okay
• 6:11
  Speaker 4: a the haircuts.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well there's not much thought.
• 6:17
  Speaker 5: I'm the worst one.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: Mate, here we go, Yeah.
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: Just mullet no soilod, Yeah that was there. You start started.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: That love was from charity, So.
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: I shaved that with the words great shave and oh mate,
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: I've had some absolute.
• 6:40
  Speaker 5: Well we might continue to look at these.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: We're going to take a break.
• 6:43
  Speaker 5: You're you're a new dad, You've got a lovely fiance, Barna.
• 6:46
  Speaker 5: We're going to have Barna joining us in the studio
• 6:48
  Speaker 5: with your next all right, mate, keep up the ugly
• 6:51
  Speaker 5: haircuts as.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: We do that.
• 6:52
  Speaker 4: Oh we need it, we need it more.
• 6:53
  Speaker 5: With Arrow coming up right here on, kiss.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: What does the future look like for you?
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: You know?
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: To Phoma, I'm okay and i am really.
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: We are here with Giant Arrow in the studio, recently
• 7:16
  Speaker 4: retired after his diagnosis with MND but a diagnosis like this,
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: it doesn't just happen to you. It doesn't just happen
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: to the person. It happens to your family. And we
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: have your fiance, Verena joining us as well.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: Arena the Holder, Yes, the Holder.
• 7:35
  Speaker 5: Hey, Brina, you you moved to from Canada to Australia
• 7:39
  Speaker 5: and you met Joe. Can you talk us through how
• 7:41
  Speaker 5: you guys even met?
• 7:42
  Speaker 6: Yeah, so I moved here about four years ago and
• 7:48
  Speaker 6: I was on the dating apps as you would do
• 7:50
  Speaker 6: when you moved to Australia, speaking Australian men from Canada,
• 7:55
  Speaker 6: and he had a mullet.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: Sorry, I know what I'm saying.
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: That was a big yeah.
• 8:01
  Speaker 6: And I was like, oh, I should take off a
• 8:02
  Speaker 6: cultural experience while I'm here. And next minute we have
• 8:07
  Speaker 6: a little one and we're getting married in October.
• 8:10
  Speaker 5: So yeah, okay, And what about the game of rugby league?
• 8:13
  Speaker 5: You had no idea what that is?
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Did you? No?
• 8:15
  Speaker 6: No, I'm an ice hockey yeah, off.
• 8:18
  Speaker 5: Like off campus.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: Then have you seen it?
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: Actual sport is a sports as well, you know, you know,
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: it's a very little nice hockey in that TV show,
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: very very good.
• 8:28
  Speaker 5: And how have you been though, Brina? So I mean,
• 8:31
  Speaker 5: this is all very I didn't realize that you only
• 8:33
  Speaker 5: found out when was it, Joe? When were you actually
• 8:35
  Speaker 5: diagnosed forny? So this is really fresh. Yeah, how are
• 8:39
  Speaker 5: you doing, Brina?
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 8:41
  Speaker 6: I think in the lead up to the diagnosis, I
• 8:43
  Speaker 6: was in a bit of denial. So at the beginning,
• 8:46
  Speaker 6: when he had that initial twitch in his arm and shoulder,
• 8:49
  Speaker 6: we were at a cafe in I was like, why
• 8:50
  Speaker 6: are you flexing your peck? Like what's going on here?
• 8:53
  Speaker 6: And he's like, I swear I'm not, and you know,
• 8:56
  Speaker 6: it kind of spiraled into him losing a bit of
• 8:59
  Speaker 6: his voice and that being very visible. That was hard
• 9:03
  Speaker 6: to watch. And you know, up until we received the diagnosis,
• 9:07
  Speaker 6: I was still convinced it definitely isn't that. And I'm
• 9:12
  Speaker 6: honestly still in a bit of shock.
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: You would be.
• 9:14
  Speaker 5: It's only been a few weeks, right, Yeah.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: What were your first thoughts? Like, run me through like
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: a running commentary of what was happening in your head?
• 9:24
  Speaker 6: How why he's thirty?
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: Right?
• 9:29
  Speaker 6: We have a little one at home, she's just turned one.
• 9:32
  Speaker 6: So for me was very very hard to even comprehend
• 9:37
  Speaker 6: asking why. I guess you can't really ask why when
• 9:43
  Speaker 6: you know, it's happened there and now we just sort
• 9:45
  Speaker 6: of have to deal with what we've been dealt with
• 9:47
  Speaker 6: and like Jay said, fight the bastard.
• 9:50
  Speaker 5: So how did you guys tell your friends and family?
• 9:55
  Speaker 6: Our close close family, like our immediate family already knew
• 9:59
  Speaker 6: we were going through that prognosis. So from November up
• 10:02
  Speaker 6: until May, it's sort of how long we've been waiting.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: And then my mom and dad pretty much told every.
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they were into it, trying to wait on my hangar,
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: I'm telling relaxed, I am neither figuring out a way too.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: And now it's in. I did the way I did. Yeah,
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: how are your parents dealing with it? Man? Oh?
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: Not?
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: Well? Yeah? No, Well.
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: I feel like for me, everyone else is spoiling around me,
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: and I'm a right, you know what I mean.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: I've mind you.
• 10:39
  Speaker 3: I had to be the time to be able to
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: process and deal with it as our best time I can.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: But everyone else and I'm overmind you. Love you all,
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: but stop smiling.
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: I'm all right.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: Is it making you want to do more things more quickly?
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, it is what you're talking about. Oh well,
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: I'm going to Spain tonight, retreat. You're going to Spain tonight.
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: Yeah, going to a treat over there. I want to
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: go to Wimberlin super Bowl and the Masterness.
• 11:22
  Speaker 4: Okay, it's a big list.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so if I can do any m that would
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: be unreal. But checked with the.
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: What's your list Forrina, because you know there's there's those
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: kind of milestones on the bucket list. Yeah, then there's
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: personal ones.
• 11:41
  Speaker 6: I think I would love ilight to have a you know,
• 11:46
  Speaker 6: brother or sister. But even with stuff like that, those
• 11:49
  Speaker 6: are big discussions with given the disease and lifespan of
• 11:54
  Speaker 6: the disease and stuff, so like those are probably big
• 11:58
  Speaker 6: personal milestones. But to be honest, I'm happy to go wherever.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: He wants to go.
• 12:03
  Speaker 4: What is the prognosis?
• 12:04
  Speaker 6: You guys, we don't want to know.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: For me. It's me around for my daughter and Marina
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: for all as I can and she knows. Oh oh fine,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: and I'll be ill.
• 12:31
  Speaker 5: Hey we've got a listener, Adam who's called in wants
• 12:34
  Speaker 5: to have a chat to you.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Joy.
• 12:35
  Speaker 5: Hello, Adam, Good morning mate, Adam.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: We're all great.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: Hi, Hi, you go good mate. I just I just
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: want to give you a call mate, just to send
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: some love and strength and You've shown courage and strength
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: your whole career maybe and this is nothing different. So
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: just hanging there. We're all behind your mate.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: Thank you may that I'm really made the line.
• 13:02
  Speaker 5: Yeah, thank you, Thank you Adam for calling it now,
• 13:05
  Speaker 5: Barna your birthday, Yes, we have a gift for you
• 13:09
  Speaker 5: from the Kiss family if we could bring in.
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: Made you coming on your birthday.
• 13:18
  Speaker 5: A different birthday this year?
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: Do I have to do it? Do it? What do you?
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: How old are you? Cougar?
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: There we go there, these type of malestone Sorry, but
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: these kind of birthdays do they mean a bit more now?
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 13:40
  Speaker 6: I think it does means a bit more now.
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: I'm very proud of that, very very proud of what
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: are you proud of her? For the person, the mom
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: and the math born she showed me. She's in my
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: number one? And oh what won't we thank you? Guys.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: I'm I'm sorry.
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: You guys are just so beautiful and annoying when shitty
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: things happen to good people. But we were fighting. We're
• 14:14
  Speaker 4: with you in the fight. The whole country is with
• 14:15
  Speaker 4: you in this fight. And with a little joint work
• 14:18
  Speaker 4: with it happens at fight, MND. I just know we
• 14:21
  Speaker 4: will beat the beast at some point, I'm sorry they
• 14:24
  Speaker 4: have to be a part of it.
• 14:26
  Speaker 5: And look, if you're listening and you want to donate
• 14:29
  Speaker 5: to m n D research, head to M and D
• 14:32
  Speaker 5: Australia dot org, dot a u J ro Barna guys,
• 14:36
  Speaker 5: thank you for coming and it's not an easy thing
• 14:38
  Speaker 5: at all, so we really appreciate it.
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: Thank you and thank you for your work for Queensland.