RESPECTED football magazine Rugby League Week have been so taken with the story of former South East Queensland and Brisbane Second Division Rugby League administrator officer Janice Gutugutuwai they have run two stories on her in the past year.
Janice who continues to battle cancer spoke to journalist Robert Burgin not only about her illness, but also of her love for rugby league, her family and Fiji.
During the recent Rugby League World Cup she was careful to set her alarms to support her teams Ireland, Australia and Fiji. She was especially keen to watch Junior (Petero Civoniceva) captain the Bati in his final season of rugby league.
Currently Janice has started walking for exercise with personal trainer Sean McBride and is volunteering with the Logan Brothers Premier team manager as the squad prepare for the 2014 season coached by Jason Gainey and Chris Bird.
Understandably, Robert and Rugby League Week were not able to include the full list of thank yous Janice had mentioned (it is almost a full page!) so we have run an edited version underneath.
Pick up a copy of this weeks Rugby League Week to read A Heart the Size of Fiji page 12 (November 28, 2013).
The Logan Brothers Premier side show their support for Janice.
Janice would also like to thank:
Support again has been amazing via Facebook and my blog on my website; fundraising for my charities ACRF, Cherish and RBWH, cancer care services and raising awareness for my cancer DSRCT Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumours.
"Family friend Mark Tookey, (sisters) Liza Carter and Latticia Byram (nee Gutugutuwai) and friend Angie Morgan led the charge for the 2013 Bridge to Brisbane, all up we had over 70 people wearing my tees raising awareness for DSRCT, which was just absolutely amazing.
Then when I did my 10 day trip to the US with the help of close friends Teringa De La Cruz and Rachel Charlize, we raised awareness from Fiji to Tennessee to Nevada to California just for my US friends who are or have a family member fighting this terrible rare disease.
They are all my Facebook as well in a worldwide DSRCT support group. Now everyone is wearing their tees on holidays around the world and emailing me photos, especially the sporting members of my extended family and friends Lote (Tuqiri), Tevita Kuridrani of the Wallabies, Kirisi Kuridrani who just signed recently with the Queensland Reds, Port Adelaide star (nephew) Alipate Carlile and former Adelaide Thunderbird and Australian netballer Jo Sutton. So far the tees have reached Ireland, England, US, Papua New Guinea with Hong Kong, Dubai, Cambodia, NZ, and soon Canada. The tees have been purchased Australia & world-wide with all monies going to direct to the charities.
"A big thankyou to my QRL family, everyone is always constantly checking up on me and I appreciate it: Rob Moore, Peter Betros and the QRL crew, Micheal Pease, Brad Tallon and the SEQ crew, Mick Tierney and the Brisbane Second Division crew, the Ipswich and Gold Coast RL, Brad Donald, Jo Breakspear and the NRL crew, Men of Leagues Steve Alder and Tegan Jennings. For your constant support always Jim and Barb McClelland, Joan Baille, Mark Beaumont and my Souths Logan Magpies family.
Please don't forget Queensland Womens Rugby League (many mentioned above) and Damian Driscoll at the Burleigh Bears. They held the Brisbane Women's GF down at Burleigh and made a day of it in my honour raising money for one of my charities the Cherish Foundation. They were all gold coin donations, but every bit counts.
Janice believes in paying it forward and now she continues to raise much-needed funds for the ACRF, Cherish and RBWH Cancer Services by selling tees and wristbands. Tees are limited so get in quick.
You can purchase merchandise and donate to her chosen charities via the website.
Main Photo: (back) Colleen Edwards, Amy Anderton, Brooke Diete, Rebecca Baguley, Shelby Pegg, Hayley Cassidy, Tegan Jennings (front) Liza Carter, Petero Civoniceva, Karen Hackwood.
