Youngster McCallum refuses to let epilepsy curtail his rugby playing
The HKFC youngster has had two seizures on the field but insists his condition is no big deal
Jake McCallum will celebrate a few firsts as he laces up his boots next week: the first training of the year, his first time on the pitch in six weeks and, most of all, becoming the first known epileptic rugby player in Hong Kong.
McCallum has been patiently biding time pending a medical all-clear after suffering two seizures in two weeks on the field at King's Park in November, both times while in trials for the city's under-19 team.
I've never experienced myself having a seizure, I just black out and wake up with a bad headache
"I desperately want to get back to it," says the frustrated 16-year-old. He insists epilepsy is, for him, "no big deal" and is keen to get back to playing rugby - and getting on with life.
Epilepsy is a common neurological brain disorder characterised by seizures. It affects around 60,000 to 70,000 Hongkongers and 50 million people worldwide.
McCallum counts himself lucky - he's suffered only seven seizures in the past three years - and shrugs off the oft-misunderstood condition.
"I don't want to be fazed by epilepsy; it shouldn't be a big deal and I try not to make it a big deal," says the confident flanker for the Hong Kong Football Club's under-19 team. "As long as people are aware of it and how to deal with it, if I have a seizure, there really shouldn't be much of a problem."
