Jordan Ablett has spoken out about the rare degenerative illness her two-year-old son Levi suffers from.
In an interview on Tuesday, the wife of former Australian rules footballer Gary Ablett Jr. revealed the illness carries a short life expectancy.
The Geelong Cats superstar was forced to flee the AFL’s Perth quarantine hub and rush home to Melbourne halfway through last season to be with Jordan following Levi’s heartbreaking diagnosis.
Heartbreaking: Jordan Ablett has spoken out about the rare degenerative illness her two-year-old son Levi suffers from. Pictured with husband Gary Ablett Jr.
Jordan said it took a long time for Levi to be diagnosed with the unspecified disease, and detailed the devastation she and Gary, 36, felt after learning the condition was ‘life threatening’.
‘I just remember sitting with Gaz in that meeting and when they said it I just remember absolutely breaking down,’ she said on the podcast The Significant Others.
‘There is a very short life expectancy which is why I constantly say to people when they ask about Levi that we are literally just taking it day by day because we have no idea what the future holds,’ she continued.
After seeing a series of paediatricians, Jordan said it was the Geelong Football Club’s team doctor who finally put them in contact with the right person.
Devastated: In an interview with podcast The Significant Others on Tuesday, the wife of former Australian rules footballer Gary Ablett Jr. revealed the illness carries a short life expectancy
She said this new paediatrician ‘got the ball rolling’, and after months of concerns, the couple, who married in 2016, finally had some answers.
Jordan said she and Gary first became concerned after noticing Levi wasn’t reaching the same milestones as other children his age.
They decided to go public with the little boy’s condition because they didn’t want to have to lie when people asked about their son.
‘People would just say things like, “Levi must be running around now.” Comments like that are so fine to receive, but when you are on the receiving end and you know everything that is going on it’s awkward,’ she confessed.
‘We don’t want to lie and be like, “Yeah, he’s running around,” because he wasn’t running around.’
In addition to Levi’s health problems, Jordan’s mum was also unwell with terminal cancer, and the couple realised they needed extra support.
‘I just remember sitting with Gaz in that meeting and when they said it I just remember absolutely breaking down,’ she recounted
Tragic: Jordan said it took a long time for Levi to be diagnosed with the unspecified disease, and detailed the devastation she and Gary, 36, felt after learning it’s ‘life threatening’
She said they also felt that by hiding Levi’s condition, they were sending their little boy the message that he needed to hide who he is.
Jordan said Levi’s condition has only made the family more aware of how precious every moment they have together is.
‘In terms of this year, we are just going to invest in Levi and invest in our family and enjoy the time we get to spend together,’ she added.
Levi was diagnosed just weeks before Ms Ablett’s mother Trudy Papalia lost her battle with lung cancer in August 2020.
Regarded as one of the greatest champions of the modern era in the AFL with two Brownlow Medals and two premierships, Ablett Jr played his 375th and final game in October last year.
The Abletts first opened up about Levi’s condition after leaving the hub in July.
‘We thank you for your love and support and want to emphasise just how grateful we are to be Levi’s parents,’ Ablett Jr wrote at the time.
‘He is a true blessing to us and our family and we love him so deeply. Anyone who knows him knows how full of joy he is and how he always has a smile on his face.’
Ablett Jr’s post was followed with a heartfelt open letter to their little boy uploaded on wife’s Instagram account.
‘In terms of this year, we are just going to invest in Levi and invest in our family and enjoy the time we get to spend together,’ she said