Chemist Warehouse Catalogue - 11/03-24/03/2021 (Page 29)

the house of wellness 29 sport this month cotton on skle nab le reflex verrin chemist cottons for the love of ame the game st kilda aflw star kate mccarthy is an inspiration both on and off the kate mccarthy stay ahead of the pack words megan hustwaite sherrin kilda star kate mccarthy is changer in the world of afl when she debuted for the brisbane lions in the inaugural aflw season in 2017 the queenslander made history as the first footballer fitted with pacemaker implanted to treat several years of irregular seizures share her health experience with the hope of inspiring and normalising heart conditions in young adults "i received a huge reaction when i first expected it" kate says "last year i had a young woman reach emergency surgery and wanted to ask about having a pacemaker and playing specialists told kate she would never she would prove them wrong one of brisbane's first draft selections the speedy midfielder would win all- australian selection and play in two grand finals "when i was told contact sport was playing touch footy and cricket up interested in afli went to a training session thinking i would never be able to play," she says "i filled in for a game and really enjoyed and was cleared to play if i'd just taken no for an answer wouldn't be where i am now or found the game i love so much just because somebody hasn't done it before doesn't mean it's impossible." kate lives an active lifestyle and says her mental health is just as important as her heart health "i see my cardiologist every six months to have a check where they wirelessly connect me to a computer and do all speeds up and slows down my heart rate they can literally control my heart and very weird," she explains "apart from that there's no maintenance or upkeep it's just "when i'm not busy i get into a bit of i'm not feeling like i'm achieving things been happier on field with st kilda after covid-19 affected 2020 when the team won two games in its first aflw season "i really missed footy during covid teammates or have a kick at the park it's reinvigorated my love for footy "just because somebody hasn't done it before doesn't mean it's impossible."