Latest news with #JamesAckerman
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Mother of footy star James Ackerman who died in horror tackle aged just 25 reveals the heartbreaking sight that put his death into perspective when she visited his grave
Ten years have passed since rugby league star James Ackerman took the field for the last time, and for his mother Sonya, reminders of his presence still arrive when she least expects them. She still sees him everywhere, and sometimes in confronting places - like a child's grave that recently shifted her grief into a new perspective. On one of the many visits she's made to her son's resting place in Caloundra, Queensland, Sonya found herself asking aloud through tears, 'Who is worse off now?' It was then that she noticed a nearby grave belonging to a five-year-old boy also named James, and in that moment, she felt her son's message come through clearly, just as he used to say in life: 'There's always someone worse off than us.' James took the field for the last time when he ran out for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in a Queensland Cup match against the Norths Devils on June 20, 2015. Within five minutes of kickoff, he was felled by a shoulder charge from NRL star Francis Molo that left him unconscious and critically injured. Despite the desperate efforts of trainers and medics, and two days of hope and heartbreak in hospital, James never woke up, and his family was forced to make the agonising decision to turn off his life support just days before his 26th birthday. He left behind a young family: two-year-old Milly, three-year-old Ollie, and his wife Saraa Spaans, who has since remarried but continues to honour the memory of the boy she first fell in love with as a teenager. Saraa says time hasn't eased the pain but has instead deepened it for their children, who now understand more clearly just how long a decade can feel without their father. She remembers him as the kind of dad who, after a long day at work, would still be the first to grab the kids and take them to the park, a man full of life who loved to make others laugh and never took a single moment for granted. On that tragic afternoon, Sonya sprinted across the field to reach her son after seeing him collapse, praying that the man known as 'Ackers' would once again bounce back to his feet as he always had. But this time was different, and deep down, she knew it the moment she saw him lying still. Falcons CEO Chris Flannery, who wasn't at the game that day despite usually travelling with the team, still remembers learning about the tragedy via a phone call. What followed was a blur of hospital rooms, meetings with specialists, and devastating conversations, including one with three neurosurgeons who confirmed Sonya's fears. Ackerman was well loved in rugby league circles and has saved lives after his death due to organ donation Her son would not recover, and even if he did, he would never live the life he deserved. In that crushing moment, she asked if James could be an organ donor, not because she had prepared for such a tragedy, but because it was a promise they had spoken about years before, and it was the only way to make meaning out of something so senseless. Saraa, then just 25, summoned a strength she didn't know she had to sign the donation waivers, knowing full well it was what James would have wanted, even as she tried to comfort two children too young to understand what they had lost. That brave decision would go on to save or improve the lives of more than 40 people, from newborns to the elderly, with James's tissue, heart valves, bone, and organs gifted to strangers who now carry a piece of him with them. Sonya recalls receiving a letter from an 89-year-old woman who had received some of James's bone, and another from a father of three girls who said a part of James's heart allowed him to enjoy Christmas with his family for the first time in years. Every year, that man now buys the biggest Christmas tree he can find, decorates it with his daughters, and thinks of the young man who gave him the chance to keep making memories. The impact of James's life and death is still felt deeply within the Falcons, where his number eight jersey has been permanently retired and his name is sung in the team song after every win. Flannery says new players often ask why the number eight is missing, and when they hear James's story, they immediately understand what it means to wear the jersey and represent the club. Ackerman's family are reminded of the time passing as his children grow older every day Sunshine Coast Falcons teammates take a knee and honour their fallen brother at his funeral At the 10-year anniversary match against Wynnum-Manly, players took a knee for 'Ackers' in a powerful tribute that reinforced just how much he still means to the club and the wider community. Back home, Sonya visits his grave often, tending to the site, talking to her son, and drawing comfort from being close to the place where he rests. She says the loss still hurts every day, and the pain intensifies when she looks at Ollie and Milly and sees how much they've grown in the years without their father. 'I look at the kids and their growth and that's what hurts more than anything,' she said. 'That makes you realise the time. It feels like yesterday, but when you look at the kids you realise it wasn't.' Sonya tries to hold onto James's words, telling herself there is always someone doing it tougher, even when her own heart is breaking. She admits she had some very dark years, but the kids gave her purpose - something to fight for, something that forced her out of bed when the sadness threatened to take hold. Her husband Michael, who watched James play from the time he was a junior in Brisbane, says the game changed for him the day he saw his middle child go down and never get back up. The family endured the 2017 coronial inquest, which cleared police of wrongdoing but questioned the game's handling of on-field violence and called for greater protections for players.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Honouring James Ackerman and his legacy, 10 years after a rugby league tragedy
It's been 10 years since her son's death and Sonya Ackerman still notices the poignant reminders of his presence, whether it's a random blast of James's favourite Uncle Kracker song, a rainbow or a confronting reminder of someone less fortunate. "He always used to say, 'There's always someone worse off than us' when something went wrong,'" Mrs Ackerman says. At that moment, she noticed a nearby grave for a five-year-old boy named James, which she took as a sign from her son: "That person, their families are worse off, Mum". On June 20, 2015, James Ackerman took the field for Sunshine Coast Falcons in a Queensland Cup match against Norths Devils at Bishop Park, Nundah, in Brisbane's north. Five minutes into the match, James was hit with a shoulder charge by an opposition player and died in hospital two days later. He was 25. He is survived by his children, Milly and Ollie, who were two and three at the time, and his wife, Saraa Spaens, who has since remarried. "I'm not sure what I expected but time hasn't healed anything," Mrs Spaens says. "It's certainly gotten worse for [the children]. They have more of a concrete realisation of how long time really is." The memories they made as a family are what the Sunshine Coast mother treasures. "He was the first to come home after a long day of work and take the kids to the park," she says. Sunday marks 10 years since James Ackerman passed away. For Mrs Ackerman, it feels like yesterday. She relives the moment she ran to the other side of the field to check if he was OK after he was dealt the sickening blow. The "horrible" ordeal still keeps her up at night. "I knew he was knocked out, but I constantly kept asking the guys on the bench, 'Has he come to?'" she recalls. "Ackers" was known for his toughness and, because of his strength, Mrs Ackerman clung to hope he would get back up. "He was just so tough, he would just bounce straight back up," she said. "This day was different and I knew it straight away." Stepping inside the office of Falcons chief executive Chris Flannery, it is quickly apparent that the Ackerman legacy will never be forgotten. Framed pictures of the Falcons number eight sit next to the CEO's desk — a stark reminder who they are playing for. He recounts the phone call he received while his team was playing away at Norths. "I don't know why I wasn't at that game — I usually travel to most away games, particularly down in Brisbane," he said. "I received the call and I think it was from our chairman, Ashley Robinson, and he said Ackers had been hurt and that it didn't look good. "I got another phone call about 15 minutes later and basically they said he hasn't moved, he hasn't regained consciousness and it is looking very serious.' The days that followed are a blur to the Ackerman family. His mother recalls meeting three neurosurgeons who explained that James wasn't going to make it and, even if he did, he would have little quality of life. "It was in that moment — and I don't know why I asked because I never for a minute thought we were going to lose him — but it just came out of my mouth: 'Is he able to be an organ donor?'" Mrs Ackerman says. "That was something we had spoken about." At just 25, Mrs Spaens bravely maintained her composure as she signed organ donation waivers while caring for the couple's two children. "We were always organ donation people but having to actually do that process was a great weight," Mrs Spaens says. "[You ask yourself] 'Why is this happening to us?' She said being a mother saved her life and gave her a reason to get up each day. "I had to get up to make sure they were OK, so that gave me focus," she says. "It took me a couple of days for it all to hit me and then for me to become incredibly emotional. "I actually thought something was wrong with me and, I guess, it's just my body's way of protecting me from pain and from sadness and all the feelings that come at once." In 2017, a coronial inquest found the Queensland Police Service made the right decision not to investigate the death as a criminal matter, but that the NRL and QRL should reconsider the stance of only sending players off in extreme circumstances. It will be remembered as the darkest time in the Sunshine Coast Falcons's 19-year history. "A lot of our trainers that were on the field that day and the things that they went through, they were the ones trying to revive him and bring him back," Mr Flannery said. On Saturday, the club commemorated the 10-year anniversary by taking a "knee for Ackers" prior to their match against Wynnum-Manly Seagulls. It's just one of the many ways the club keeps the 25-year-old's legacy alive. "Our team song that we sing after every victory, the last line is about Ackers, so there are lots of little things that continue to remind us about his legacy and just what James was to this club. "He'll never be forgotten here." For Mrs Ackerman, it's her son's contagious smile that she longs to see. "He's a Gemini, so he had the two personalities: he was very quiet, as in didn't talk much, but at the same time he was a real cheeky character," she says. Family and friends of the prop forward will honour his memory on Sunday at a Sunshine Coast pub — a few beers and a few bets, the way James would have wanted. "It's going to be — as much as it can be — a big celebration," Mrs Spaens said. "That's definitely the attitude that we're taking towards it and celebrating his life as opposed to still being weighed down by the time that has lapsed. "Seeing everyone have a beer and a bet and do what we say is the Ackers way. It can't get more him than that."
