Andrew Johns suffers seizure while on family holiday in Yamba
The brain seizures suffered by rugby league Immortal Andrew “Joey” Johns have been a closely guarded family secret for a couple of years, his father has revealed. Johns collapsed while on holiday at Yamba with his family on Friday.
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The brain seizures suffered by rugby league Immortal Andrew “Joey” Johns have been a closely guarded family secret for a couple of years.
Family, friends and fans rallied around the Origin star after The Sunday Telegraph revealed he had collapsed in a coffee shop.
“There have been a lot of phone calls and messages of support,” Johns’ father Gary said yesterday.
“It has been a bit of a family secret. He has had this problem for a while.”
The Origin and Kangaroos legend collapsed in a north coast coffee shop on Friday in the latest episode of a health battle he has been privately dealing with for several years.
The 44-year-old had been enjoying the Christmas break with his partner Kate Kendall and their four-month-old daughter Alice at Yamba, a popular holiday surfing town.
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Wellwishers flooded social media with messages of support.
“Stay strong Joey and focus on the positive,” one fan said.
Gary added: “He has had a couple of little seizures over the last couple of years. It is a concern for us.”
The last one was 12 months ago. Johns has been seeing a neurosurgeon and his family believe the seizures are triggered by tiredness.
His father said Andrew had just returned from the wedding of former Knights teammate Brian Carney in Europe.
“It has been a very hectic time for him,” Gary said. “He is really jet-lagged and has been in the surf for six or seven hours a day. It is very much related to fatigue.”
According to an onlooker Johns collapsed, heavily bumped his head on the floor, where he lay for several minutes in a semi-conscious state.
Shocked holiday makers called an ambulance.
Johns was treated by paramedics at the scene but declined to attend nearby Maclean Hospital.
“I’ve got some medical stuff going on,” Johns said, when contacted by The Sunday Telegraph.
“They’re seizures that have been going on a while.
“I’m seeing the right doctors and they are doing all the tests and have got me on medication.”
Johns’ family are now urging the keen and accomplished surfer not to go surfing over the holidays.
“I’m just going to kick back and enjoy the break,” he said.
Johns phoned his brother, Fox Sports star Matthew Johns, after the latest scare.
“He said he was standing in line to get served and could feel it coming on,” Matthew said.
“Next thing he can remember is waking up on the floor.”
Johns retired from rugby league in 2007 after 249 games for the Newcastle Knights.
He has previously suffered from a bipolar disorder.
The ongoing health effects of concussions and head injuries sustained by contact sport players is one of the biggest issues in world sport.
The NRL will introduce a “brain bunker” next year where experts will monitor players during games for signs of concussion.
Johns was once renowned for his party boy image but has lived a healthy lifestyle in recent years.
His employers at Channel 9 have been aware of his health issues and are offering support.
Originally published as Andrew Johns suffers seizure while on family holiday in Yamba
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