Nicole, has had a serious knee injury which forced her out of the Olympics but being ever the optimist she got on with putting back into the sport she loves... She had knee surgery which failed and left her with an infection in the knee not that at the time we knew this.  She came home from the day surgery with a nasty infection on her face which a trip to the dr confirmed was a staff infection from the tape they put on her eye lids and when they removed it left little tears on her lids...   Fast forward 20 yrs and now she is suffering horrifically with pain.  Fortunately a friend of her's is an Osteopath and has been helping her all these years to be able to have some use of her leg.  Recently she decided she needed to do something about this pain which is getting worse. So off she goes to get referrals to Orthopedic surgeons to be told that the tools to operate on her knee have not been designed yet and to do a knee replacement is not possible as the flesh needed to attach the knee has been too badly infected.  She was very resolute as is her way.   Now, here comes the compliment.  Both surgeons on the letter back to her doctor said what a delightful 40yr old she is.... What a nice thing to say.  I only found this out from her when I was talking with her Osteopath Kevin while we were looking at the gallery of pictures and I told him about someone who earlier had been looking at her picture on the wall of the sports stadium and I pointed out that was his coach and the guy said no way that's not her, as he looks out to where Nicole is coaching..... she looks much younger!!  That was when Kevin (her Osteopath) said if he didn't know how old she was he would have said about 23.  He then went on to lavish praise on her... saying she has such a baby face and beautiful skin.  As her mother I was so touched.  Sometimes, we take our kids for granted and often do not see them how others do.  Of course I knew she was beautiful... on the inside.

My daughter has university degrees and runs her own business' but her way of putting back into her sport is to coach people with disabilities both physical and or intellectually for which I am very proud of her... not many have the capacity to take on athletes with disabilities and encourage them to be the best they can be.  She has also coached able bodied elite athletes to international level.

She still continues to play, albeit only in the local A grade pennant but, how she does this amazes a lot of people including me as anyone can clearly see she is in obvious pain, but she is also a fighter.  

  On a side note when I was telling Nicole about what Kevin said, she  laughingly said of course he knows about my skin he sees it every week..... She does not let these sort of compliments affect her and I am so very proud of her....
(Kate aka LS you would be proud of her .... she has long hair and doesn't wear makeup).

What a role model she is..... not only to others but to me, her mother.