Cronulla Sharks young gun Fine Kula cleared of brain cancer
Young Sharks forward Fine Kula has been given a second chance after remarkably being cleared of a brain tumour. His inspirational fight has given the Sharks a huge lift on the eve of the finals.
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Soloman Kula walked out of Westmead Hospital to phone his wife with the news about their boy that even now, still hasn’t sunk in.
Together down the phone line, they sobbed.
On a massage table inside Shark Park, rising NRL star Ronaldo Mulitalo looked down at his phone to see a message. He read it once and then again.
In shock, he read it one more time — and then Mulitalo cried into the table.
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If the Sharks do nothing else this season, they will always have this.
If the year 2020 needs more than just hope — and we know it does — this is it.
Inspirational and extraordinary is the only way to explain young Sharks forward Fine Kula, who despite being diagnosed with stage four brain cancer less than 12 months ago, was medically cleared by doctors on Monday.
This, after his friends and family, had been told to prepare that he may never leave hospital again.
But after four rounds of intense and debilitating chemotherapy for the majority of this year, Fine received the incredible news on Monday after meeting with his doctors at Westmead.
He will require ongoing check-ups to ensure the cancerous tumour, called Medulloblastoma — which ended his burgeoning footy career prior to Christmas last year — doesn’t return and which had spread from his brain into his neck and grown to the size of a “bread roll” in his spine.
Soloman, Fine’s girlfriend Anisha and the young footballer were in the room when doctors broke the exhilarating news.
“I don’t know where to start,’’ Fine’s father told News Corp. “What a journey.
“He’s been cleared. We sat down with the doctor and he walked in with a big smile on his face. He said: ‘The tests came back and there’s literally nothing.’
“From his head down to his spine ... he’s clear of cancer. We were all lost for words.
“Fine’s smile ... wow. I’ll never forget it.
“We’re just blessed. We know the journey of recovery for him is still another couple more years before he gets back to 100 per cent.
“But the fact is, he’s cleared one hurdle to be told there’s no tumour, from his head all the way down, he’s been cleared cancer-free, even his bone marrow, his blood, everything.’’
Fine, 21, played in the front row for the Sharks lower grades, both as a former NSWRL Matthews Cup Player of the Year in 2015 and Jersey Flegg premiership winner in 2018.
He had been training with John Morris’ first-grade squad before Christmas.
What is remarkable about Fine’s story is, few if any NRL fans, have ever seen him play.
But in their droves, the rugby league community have liked, shared or contributed to his brave fight via a Go Fund Me page designed to help finance his battle, which continues now with a small little pill he will take at the cost of $60,000 a year to ward off any future cancer.
What began late last year as a series of headaches, tests revealed Kula was suffering brain cancer, forcing him to retire from footy.
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— Cronulla Sharks (@Cronulla_Sharks) September 29, 2020
Young Shark Fine Kula has been cleared of Brain Cancer #UpUp
“Where the tumour was sitting on top of his head, it was around the brain area and also all the way down the spine,‘’ Soloman said. “On the spine, it was like the size of a bread roll.
“Having something like that and it’s stage four, the percentage of people coming through the other side, is very low. Just to believe in the process of the doctors and us as family supporting them with prayer, is what got us all through.
“The support came from everywhere. The rugby league community, I can’t thank the Sharks enough, the NRL, the Men of League and everybody that has read Fine’s story and messaged us.
“That was the ultimate prize (on Monday).
“The doctor said, ‘Fine, you’ve been to war but you’ve come out the end and been cleared. You were knocking on death’s door. But you’ve got a second chance.
“As a father and somebody who watched my son play rugby league, all you wanted him to do was play first grade. But I said to Fine, ‘maybe god has got another purpose for your life. Maybe he’s using you to show other kids, don’t give up’.’’
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The Sharks players, led by his close mate Mulitalo, have vowed to “Fight For Fine” throughout the 2020 season.
On Saturday, eighth-placed Cronulla are being given little chance outside their inner-sanctum to travel down to Canberra and beat the Raiders in an elimination final.
Fine proves, miracles do exist.
“I told the team about the news and the reaction was incredible, the lift it gave us all was like nothing else,” Mulitalo said.
“It’s amazing. He (Fine) has no idea how much he helps me every day.
“His bravery settles my nerves before a game, he makes me feel like I have to give everything in every game.
“There’ll be an even bigger spring in all the boys step on Saturday now knowing Fine has won a bigger battle than ours.’’