Andre Mantovani, 5, here in his father John's arms, had the experience of a lifetime when he got the chance to meet his heroes, including ruckman Mason Cox, on a recent visit to the Collingwood Football Club with his family.
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A local boy who suffers from an incurable disease has enjoyed the time of his life after meeting his heroes.
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Andre Mantovani, 5, son of Manto Produce & Providore owners John and Krystle Mantovani, had the chance to meet Collingwood Football Club’s biggest stars while on a recent trip to Melbourne.
John, a diehard Pies fan, said he was just as excited about the encounter as his son was.
“It’s not every day that you can do that for your son, and I was just extremely grateful. I couldn’t thank the club enough,” John said.
“It made me feel extremely proud that I could do something like that for him, and I hope for years to come that he’ll cherish that kind of memory.”
Not having even reached his sixth birthday, Andre was last year diagnosed with a rare condition called osteogenesis imperfecta.
Commonly referred to as ‘brittle bones disease’, it is caused by a defect in the genes that produce collagen, the material that makes bones strong.
Already, Andre has had three of his bones broken: his collarbone and both of his femurs, which are usually the two strongest bones in the human body.
Andre got to try on a pair of ruckman Mason Cox’s famous glasses.
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“When he was two, or just under two, he broke his femur. He was in the toy room one morning, and I heard a cry, a painful one,” John said.
“I just thought it was a freak accident. But then probably a year or so after, he happened to break his other femur when he just slightly collided with another kid.”
A visit to doctors at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne later confirmed John and Krystle’s worst fears.
Osteogenesis imperfecta can be mild, but, as in Andre’s case, it can also be severe, with bones that break easily and teeth that need to be removed.
The diagnosis was a painful outcome for the family, whose son had always wanted to play Aussie rules with his mates, but now cannot.
“That’s probably the heartbreaking part of it: saying that he can’t participate in that kind of stuff,” John said.
Although there is no known cure for the disease, Andre has started a regimen of infusions to strengthen his bones.
Hoping to lift their son’s spirits after his first infusion about three weeks ago, John and Krystle decided to organise something special.
John contacted the Collingwood FC to see if it might be happy to have them visit.
The club welcomed them with open arms.
John said the club’s hospitality went above and beyond anything he had expected.
“He got along really well with Mason Cox, who gave him his time and put on his glasses and things like that,” he said.
“It was a good feeling to see him smiling and that, knowing that he’s not going to have the opportunity to play football one day.”
Even though he will never be able to play contact sports, Andre has had an experience he’ll remember for the rest of his life.
As for John and Krystle, seeing the smile on their son’s face is something they won’t soon forget either.
“He’s such a strong-willed little warrior of a kid,” John said.
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