Ben Kennedy supports Mariners’ Pink Round
Ahead of Sunday’s Pink Round, Mariners goalkeeper Ben Kennedy has shared his story after losing his mum to breast cancer last year.
Central Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Central Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Mariners will swap their yellow and navy stripes for pink this Sunday against Melbourne Victory in support of women’s cancer support services on the Coast, and one man who is right behind the cause is goalkeeper Ben Kennedy.
Kennedy understands the impacts of cancer all too well, having lost his mum Karen to breast cancer last year.
The pair shared a close relationship, and Kennedy admitted it’s been difficult adjusting to life without his biggest fan.
“We were very close. Every day I think about her and I miss her,” he said.
“I remember one day she asked me if she had my permission to go and that was probably the hardest thing ever.”
The 30-year-old shot stopper remembers the exact moment his mum shared the news of her diagnosis, and said he couldn’t have been prouder of how she battled the illness.
“It was about four to five years ago … I still remember the day she told me. It was quite a tough moment,” Kennedy said.
“She had surgery and we thought we might have got it, but unfortunately it spread through her body, it wasn’t going to be curable and it was more about giving her the best quality of life that we could.
“She was strong, tough and she fought every step of the way and it kind of gives you a bit of inspiration as well.”
The former Newcastle Jets man said living life as a professional footballer was a real challenge during her journey.
“It was very difficult. I tried to use (football) as a bit of an escape from it. There are days there when you don’t want to be at training and you just have to go through the motions,” Kennedy said.
“There were a lot of times where I was eating McDonalds and KFC, with no other options. I still remember about two years ago, I slept like four hours in a week and I still had to go to training.
“You kind of don’t worry about anything else it was all about mum and how she was doing.”
The Mariners will have bucket collections on Sunday night and will auction off the player-worn jerseys. Kennedy hopes plenty of fans get behind the initiative.
“They (Cancer Council) helped out with everything so much, the nurses and doctors were amazing to her,” he said.
“Sometimes people don’t really donate because they don’t know where the money goes to.
“Having been there and been involved with where it goes to, the nurses mean so much not only to the patients but the families as well.”