Bulldogs winger Jacob Kiraz was finishing training when his parents called to say his younger brother Joseph had been diagnosed with Leukaemia.
The news didn’t sink in until he was doing drills at Belmore Sports Ground the next day.
“Joey was adamant I keep going training, that everything was alright. But there I completely broke down in tears,” Jacob told The Catholic Weekly.
“The coach pulled me aside and immediately said to go to the hospital to be with him, that family comes before footy.”
That was in November 2022. The following year became a gruelling test of mental and spiritual strength for Jacob.
“That season, there were injuries I just played through, lots of stuff mentally that I pushed aside because I knew that whatever I was going through was nothing compared to what Joey was suffering,” he said.
Jacob suffered stress fractures and a near-broken back, but his time in and around children’s hospitals broke his heart too.
Too many sick kids were alone in the wards, without their families to comfort them.
“That really hurt to see,” Jacob said.
“As tough as it was for him, Joey at least had everyone around. My parents were able to take work off and my siblings and I were there every day.
“But some families can’t stop working. Parents are doing everything they can to help their children and because of that, lose out on the time to actually be by their side.”
Joseph is now in the final months of remission and normal life is in sight, but the ordeal has given Jacob and his family a shift of perspective.
For the last year he’s leveraged his popularity and sporting platform to raise awareness and much-needed funds as an ambassador for the Kids with Cancer Foundation Australia.
Now, the player with the most running metres in the NRL in 2024 is lacing up his size 14 shoes to lead a team in Sydney’s City2Surf 14km marathon on 11 August, to raise money for the charity.
“I jumped on board a few weeks after Joey finished treatment. I remember seeing their message and speaking to mum saying, ‘This is meant to be.’”
“I saw what my brother was going through and tried to imagine him going through it on his own. That was an indicator from God to get involved and it’s one of the best things I’ve done.”
Kids with Cancer assists families with suffering children to pay bills, mortgages, supply grocery vouchers and fund clinician positions in hospitals nationwide, among other initiatives.
Most recently the charity pledged $10 million for two levels of a new oncology ward at Westmead Children’s Hospital.
But their most important mission is to let sick kids know they’re not alone.
“Often when we prepare little care packages for the kids, Jacob will come in and hand-deliver them,” said Linda Nas, program and services manager at Kids with Cancer.
“The awareness that he’s bringing about and the smile he’s putting on the kids’ faces is invaluable.
“He’s a respected and genuine young man as passionate off the field as he is on it, and people admire that.”
Only a few weekends ago Jacob was contacted by a mother hoping to raise $5000 after losing her stepdaughter to leukaemia.
Within hours of sharing the story to his 22k followers on Instagram, the foundation received double the goal.
“I’ve never felt I’d be someone to have an impact on people. You don’t see it, but when I hear the stories I realise there’s an opportunity here to change people’s lives,” Jacob said.
“You just don’t know what these families go through. Some kids don’t even know me, they don’t know footy, but one visit or one gift makes them so happy and they feel loved.”
Through the ups and downs, the 22-year-old credits his faith and his childhood club for helping him and his family get through to the other side.
“At the time it’s hard. You question God sometimes. You think, why? Why my brother?” Jacob said.
“Buy you have to accept God’s plan, whatever it may be, and trust he’s left his biggest crosses for his toughest faithful to carry.
“The club understood family was number one and at the time that’s what I needed.
“Our coach Cameron Ciraldo and general manager Phil Gould would come by the house to check up on us. The club sent flowers and no one rushed me back.”
Since then, Jacob has repaid the grace he received from both the Bulldogs—last year signing an extension to remain in Belmore until the end of 2027—and the rosary group who prayed for his brother throughout the ordeal.
The Kiraz family prays weekly with the rosary group for others doing it tough. Jacob also attends mid-week Mass wherever possible, even taking teammates along, and sticks by his faith through good times and bad.
“Faith to lots of the boys in our team means the world to them too. Even other teammates I’m close to, they know the connection I have to my faith and they ask questions, they’re curious about it,” he said.
“You can be the best player in the world, but the number one thing is being a good person. That’s what I hope people take away.”