A WORKINGTON boy who beat meningitis has now achieved his black belt in karate.
Sonny Smith, 13, of Rose Hill, Harrington, competed for the top belt on Sunday and passed the test.
He was given a slim chance of survival after contracting meningitis when he was seven and it left him tired and weak.
Sonny started attending karate classes with his friends at the Hokushinko martial arts centre in Workington and his confidence and strength grew.
His father David said: “It is a massive achievement. I never thought he would have got so far. After he came out of hospital he was so poorly.
“Now he has done so well. He has more confidence and more self belief. It is unbelievable how far he has come. We are the proudest family in the world.”
Sonny felt ill on Valentine’s Day in 2001 and went to bed with medicine.
David said: “We phoned the doctors because he wasn’t well. We gave him a bath before talking to the doctors. He was stiff as a board. You could see bruising on him. We called the doctor and they sent an ambulance.
“A paediatrician came down and got him to a children’s ward. For 48 hours we were never away from the hospital.
“We were told there was a slim chance of him pulling through. It was as if our life had been taken away. We didn’t know what was going to happen or if we were going to have a little lad by the end of it or what damage would be caused. There was no life in him. Things have been a struggle.”
Mark Hodgson, who teaches Sonny, said: “I treat Sonny the same as anyone else and the black belt is the pinnacle of what we do. He did really well, it is a long, hard test.”
Sonny Smith, 13, of Rose Hill, Harrington, competed for the top belt on Sunday and passed the test.
He was given a slim chance of survival after contracting meningitis when he was seven and it left him tired and weak.
Sonny started attending karate classes with his friends at the Hokushinko martial arts centre in Workington and his confidence and strength grew.
His father David said: “It is a massive achievement. I never thought he would have got so far. After he came out of hospital he was so poorly.
“Now he has done so well. He has more confidence and more self belief. It is unbelievable how far he has come. We are the proudest family in the world.”
Sonny felt ill on Valentine’s Day in 2001 and went to bed with medicine.
David said: “We phoned the doctors because he wasn’t well. We gave him a bath before talking to the doctors. He was stiff as a board. You could see bruising on him. We called the doctor and they sent an ambulance.
“A paediatrician came down and got him to a children’s ward. For 48 hours we were never away from the hospital.
“We were told there was a slim chance of him pulling through. It was as if our life had been taken away. We didn’t know what was going to happen or if we were going to have a little lad by the end of it or what damage would be caused. There was no life in him. Things have been a struggle.”
Mark Hodgson, who teaches Sonny, said: “I treat Sonny the same as anyone else and the black belt is the pinnacle of what we do. He did really well, it is a long, hard test.”
Check out our site www.karateworld.com.au for more great info on Karate and it's benefits.
Until next time.
Yours in Karate do,
Shihan
No comments:
Post a Comment