We’ll leave it to Mum, Ruth, to tell us what it meant to her boys.
“You should have seen Liam when we told him he was going to meet the All Blacks! There was lots of running around, running up and down on the spot and very excited signing of All Blacks, All Blacks!
“When he actually saw them, it was the same again. He loves posing for photos and he’s definitely a rugby boy—he did some sensory rugby training just this weekend. He’s also been a Hurricanes member pretty much since he was born, so he’s quite the experienced supporter. He always looks people in the eye and says hello—very polite to all the guys.
“We lifted Liam to stand on the seats in front of the All Blacks. He gets this… you know, little gleam in his eye when he gets his way 😊. And that picture with Ethan Blackadder lifting him up. I mean, it’s gorgeous!
“We had a lot of fun with Ethan. You can tell by that photo. I accidentally said to him, ‘Todd, how’re you going?’ and Ethan said, ‘Hey! I haven’t got that many greys yet!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, you’re Ethan!’ We were just laughing and laughing. Todd, his dad, used to be in the All Blacks, so I’m showing my age!
“They were all really, really friendly, taking a bit more time out with Liam. And even though they do weights every day, they all got a bit of a shock trying to lift him up! So big ups to parents who have kids with disabilities and how much physical work they do.
“My other two boys came too, and I said to them, ‘How lucky are you to be at something like this?’ They had been on a Parent to Parent SibCamp in June and that’s how this Captain’s Run opportunity came about, through Jack, the Parent to Parent Coordinator at the camp.
“You know, a moment like this makes everyone think a bit more about the essential things in life. What it’s all about. The importance of fun is super underestimated. 100%. Just take a breath and, pause, listen and look.
“The All Blacks, they paused, listened, looked, and took that moment to have fun with Liam. They have such a short timeframe to see all the fans. It’s intense. And they didn’t rush us or anything. They were gracious. They were great.
“The pictures say 1000 words.” Ruth
