Queensland athlete Lachlan O’Shea coming to terms with his shock Huntington’s diesease diagnosis

A champion of his trade has had his world shattered by the devastating news he has Huntington’s disease. His greatest fight is to just get out of bed in the morning knowing he is on borrowed time, but he has already put plans in place to launch a comeback.

Try as he might to put on a brave face in the throes of his internal struggle, Lachlan O’Shea could not keep the demons at bay forever.

As the enormity of his Huntington’s disease diagnosis two months ago locked the boxer in a stranglehold he had two choices: trap himself in his room and the “mental prison” he was in, or ensure his remaining years were spent vying to make his family proud.

He chose the latter, as his quest for the Australian welterweight title began.

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Hailing from Townsville, O’Shea made the move to the Glitter Strip at the end of 2020 to care for his mother who suffers from the same disease.

The rare, inherited condition causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, with symptoms often surfacing in a patient’s 30s. After diagnosis, a sufferer is expected to have anywhere from 10 to 30 more years left.

Lachlan O'Shea's Battle

Since his move from North Queensland, O’Shea became the Queensland champion of his division, while also rising to the venue manager position at Empire R & B nightclub, a role he has since stepped away from.

But in the lead up to his state belt defence against Nathan Watson, O’Shea received the results of a Huntington’s genetic test and made the gut-wrenching decision to withdraw.

At that stage, he said he was in no mental state to compete, deciding his plans of one day having a family of his own had been taken from him.

Now he has started the process of reinventing himself, returning to training at Matrix Boxing Gym to launch his pursuit for the Australian welterweight mantle.

“I thought I was going to have a big lash out for a short period of time, but it turned into a slow decline instead,” O’Shea said.

“I just had debates in my head and started questioning everything. I was wondering why bother? What reason? and the more it lingered I didn’t want to do much.

“I was going to have kids if I didn’t test positive. I convinced myself it would be selfish to have a kid for a short period knowing I wouldn’t be there in the later years.

“I was taking the easy options trying to make myself feel better with quick fixes like going out drinking and eating junk food.

“I stepped away from the simple things that make me feel good about myself like being active outdoors or at the gym training. That was my biggest mistake.

“But now that I’ve accepted I won’t have kids, and I’ve just had to re-evaluate why I want to do it (boxing). A lot of it is still for myself to be honest, and for my mum to make her proud.”

Lachlan O'Shea's Battle

O’Shea’s comeback to the ring has hit even further hurdles, having just recovered from surgery in his left hand while he braces to go under the knife for a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Slowly but surely, with the help of fellow pugilist Jacob Ng and his trainer and father Steve, the 28-year-old has been training and getting himself back on track, with a goal of returning to the ring in the coming months.

It is a farcry from the man who admits he struggled to find the strength to even go for a run upon receiving his lifechanging news.

Now ranked number four in the nation’s welterweight rankings, O’Shea is hopeful one more triumph will thrust him into the spotlight and give him the chance to take on belt holder Ben Kite.

Now he said his greatest challenge was keeping his mind on track with a simple mantra: why waste the opportunity in front of him?

“My biggest fight is to get out of bed, it’s not training. You have to get out of bed and take the first step of your day, it’s getting the momentum started,” O’Shea said.

“I feel like everyone thinks you’re meant to have a good run. I’ve had a nice little hiccup in the middle, now it’s shake it off and keep pushing forward.

“I want to get back to training, have some fights and win the Australian title. The last month or so I’ve found a new hunger, a new reason why I want to do it.

“If I really want that goal I’ll keep pushing until I get it.”

Support for sufferers with Huntington’s Disease can be found and provided at huntingtonsqld.org.au.