AFL star Gary Rohan says his girlfriend Madi Bennett is 'one of the strongest people I have ever met' as she shares her family heartbreak
AFL star Gary Rohan has praised his 'incredible' girlfriend Madi Bennett after she opened up about her family heartache in an emotional podcast interview.
The Geelong Cats player, 30, said the club's former physio, 27, was 'one of the strongest people I have ever met', after she bravely discussed her mother's death aged 47 from Huntington's disease.
Gary wrote on Instagram on Wednesday: 'I'm so proud of this incredible woman, one of the strongest people I have ever met. I love you.'
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Support: AFL star Gary Rohan (right) has praised his 'incredible' girlfriend Madi Bennett (left) after she opened up about her family heartache in an emotional podcast interview
Madi had appeared on Power, Strength and Vulnerability: The Mental Health Podcast to discuss her mother's death in 2013, when she was just 19 years old.
Her mum had lived with Huntington's, a condition that stops parts of the brain working properly over time and is inherited from a person's parents, for seven years.
The disease gets gradually worse and is usually fatal after a period of up to 20 years.
Symptoms usually start at 30 to 50 years of age, but can begin much earlier or later.
'It was very much a part of my reality that I would lose mum earlier than expected, but her death was still quite sudden,' Madi said.
'Mum didn't have much quality of life towards the end, but we still thought we had a bit more time. It took us by surprise, but that's a part of the disease - it's so savage, and so unpredictable.'
Support: The Geelong Cats player, 30, said the club's former physio, 27, was 'one of the strongest people I have ever met', after she bravely discussed her mother's death aged 47 from Huntington's disease. He praised her in this post on Instagram Stories
If a parent has the Huntington's disease gene, there's a 50 per cent chance of each of their children developing the condition, and affected children are also able to pass the gene to any they have.
There's no cure for Huntington's disease, or any way to stop it getting worse.
Madi made the decision to get tested for the gene when she was 23 years old.
After a lengthy process, she found out she was negative and broke down in tears upon hearing the news.
'I can't even explain... there's no possible words in the world,' she said.
'I just dropped. Just bawled my eyes out, went numb, sweaty, crying. I hugged my genetic counsellor for ages. What a bloody process to have gotten to the end of.'
She added that while she never considered having children before, she now 'can't wait to be a mum' knowing she won't pass on the gene.
'I'll do it when the time is right,' she said.
Journey: Gary went 'Instagram official' with Madi in April, but deleted the post one month later after receiving public backlash
Gary went 'Instagram official' with Madi in April, but deleted the post one month later after receiving public backlash.
He and his ex-wife Amie Rohan split last year when he travelled with his Geelong teammates to Queensland to join the AFL Covid hub, while Amie stayed in Victoria with their children, Bella, three, and Sadie, one.
The Rohans had suffered unimaginable grief in 2018 when Willow, Bella's twin, died five hours after birth due to a defect causing babies to be born without parts of the brain.
The pair had been married for four years prior to their break-up, with Amie revealing in April this year the split was more difficult than losing their daughter.
'The days after my marriage breakdown were some of the hardest days of my life, harder than when we lost Willow,' she told the Move Your Mind podcast.
While Gary was in the AFL hub, he hooked up with Madi after his marriage broke down, months after Sadie was born.
Madi had been flown cross-country to use her physio skills to help Geelong Cats legend Gary Ablett Jr see out his final season.
Over: Gary Rohan and his ex wife Amie (pictured following Sadie's birth in 2020), split last July
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