Maddie’s Match 2017: Brave Elliot ready for a banner day
ELLIOT Vanderland, 4, is set to run through the banner with his idol, Nick Riewoldt, tonight. And he’s the perfect person to be “Maddie’s Match Hero”.
VIC News
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LITTLE Elliot Vanderland is the perfect person to be “Maddie’s Match Hero” tonight.
The four-year-old is recovering from a bone marrow transplant and is set to run through the banner with his idol, Nick Riewoldt, at Etihad Stadium.
“The Vanderlands found Maddie’s Vision through a Google search of aplastic anaemia and made contact,’’ Riewoldt said.
The Riewoldt family founded the charity after the death of Nick’s sister, Maddie, at age 26 in 2015.
“I met little Elliot and his family about six weeks ago while he was in an isolation unit at the Royal Children’s recovering from a bone-marrow transplant,” Nick said. “Although Elliot is only four there were a lot of similarities to Maddie, and it is what a lot of other sufferers of bone marrow failure go through.
“I’m hoping that Elliot is well enough to run out with me and that it will bring a smile to his little face.”
Maddie’s Match, between St Kilda and Richmond, aims to raise $300,000 for research into bone marrow failure.
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