She just wanted to play sports: Tua’s Battle with Rheumatic Fever

Tua and her jammies

Thirteen-year-old Tua lights up when she talks about sport. Netball, football, touch — she plays them all. But this winter, instead of chasing goals on the field, Tua has spent three long weeks in a hospital bed at Kidz First. She’s being treated for rheumatic fever — a serious, preventable illness that’s taken away her energy, her independence, and the thing she loves most: being active.

Her arms twitch and jerk involuntarily — a symptom known as chorea, caused by the disease. It’s why her photo is blurry. Tua just shrugs and smiles. “It’s way better now,” she says. “The treatment’s been working since I got here.”

Rheumatic fever can develop after a simple strep throat infection. It’s more common in cold, damp, overcrowded homes — like the one Tua shares with her mum, dad, and five sisters.

When strep throat swept through the family, three of her sisters got it too. They all took antibiotics — except Tua. She kept quiet about her symptoms, scared she’d miss school and her sports tryouts. “I didn’t tell anyone,” she admits. “I just wanted to go to school.”

Without treatment, her strep throat developed into rheumatic fever. By the time she arrived at Kidz First, she needed full-time care. She couldn’t shower, eat, or even use the bathroom on her own. Her mum, Tia, stayed with her day and night.

“It was hard seeing her like that,” says Tia. “She’s usually so active. Always running around. And suddenly she couldn’t do anything on her own.”

With Tia at the hospital, the rest of the family has relied on her husband to manage everything at home. He’s taken time off work to care for their younger children, including a toddler, while navigating everything else that comes with running a household in crisis.

Tia is doing everything she can to protect her kids’ health. “I’m trying to move,” she says, “but it’s hard. We know this house isn’t right for our family — too small, too damp. But it’s tough out there.”

Tia's especially grateful for the new pyjamas her girls received from Jammies for June donors. “We’re a big family and we just wear our clothes. Pyjamas are a luxury we don’t buy,” she says. “My girls won’t take their new jammies off — as soon as they get home, they put them on. Thank you so much.”

As winter closes in, the stakes are even higher. Cold homes mean more sore throats. More sore throats can mean more children in hospital beds like Tua’s — facing long recoveries and long absences from the things they love.

As winter sets in, the risk grows. Cold homes lead to more sore throats. And more sore throats mean more kids like Tua ending up in hospital, facing weeks of recovery and long stretches away from the things they love.

Join Dame Valerie Adams Jammie Army and warm up winter for kids like Tua.

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