Newcastle boxer Emma-Sue Greentree is an inspiration to many, balancing both her rising career and Type 1 diabetes.
And, her mother Susan has been supporting her daughter from the beginning… in and out of the ring.
“She was always very competitive and sporty, even as a kid,” the proud mum said.
At nine years, Greentree was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
“Emma was devastated when she found out,” Susan stated.
After her diagnosis, Greentree was convinced her sporting days were over.
But, a doctor at John Hunter Hospital reassured her it wouldn’t come to an end, showing her newspaper clippings of athletes to spark inspiration.
It worked.
Greentree went back to playing sports and enjoying life as a kid, although Susan still had her worries.
“At one stage in Emma’s younger years, she became a national ‘hepathlete’ which involved a lot of travel for us.”
A heptathlon is a combined track and field event consisting of seven different athletic disciplines, including hurdles, high jump, sprinting, long jump and javelin.
Participants earn points in each category, which is then tallied up at the end to determine the winner.
Greentree also dabbled in union and league in her younger years.
“While playing a game of rugby league, she tore her PCL and had trouble getting back to jumping for her high jump and long jump events which ultimately set her on her path to joining boxing,” Susan said.
“When she was a child and she’d have big days competing in the heptathlons or other athletic competitions, her blood sugar could randomly drop during the night.
“I would be getting all the time to check her blood.
“And, sometimes, the worry did keep me up at night.”
Despite this, her journey did not stop there.
Greentree is Australia’s current 75kg boxing champion and gearing up for an exciting few weeks where she will train in Glasgow ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games before taking on the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool.
Susan will be cheering on her daughter from home.
“Our family throws a little party to watch her when we are unable to be there in person,” she told the Newcastle Weekly.
“We usually go over to someone’s house at ridiculous times, sometimes 2am if that’s when she’s on, to watch and support her all together and we have lots of fun.”
However, it’s not always so cheerful.
“Sometimes Emma feels down and homesick when she is away for camps or competitions,” she said.
“This can be hard as a parent to support your child through that, knowing you can’t always be there and you do worry but Emma just gets on with life and uses her competitive spirit to continue on.
“Emma’s partner, Conor, is also a massive support system for her along with her dog, Macie, who is a boxer breed.”
Since her diagnosis, Greentree now has a CGM patch on her arm, which tracks her glucose levels and sends it directly to an app on her phone.
“These days Emma has a great dietician that is a part of the sponsors that supports her and helps her manage her Type 1 diabetes with meal plans and things,” her mother explained.
“She is in good hands.”
Susan’s hopes for her daughter’s future is to just be happy in life.
“There will come a day where she may not want to do boxing anymore but I strongly believe that she will always be a part of it one way or another,” she said.
“I just want her to be happy and I will support her in anything she wants to do.”
For more sports stories:
- Tennis legend praises talented Heatherbrae ace Isaac Elson
- Behind the scenes at Newcastle races
- Pickers claim fifth successive NEWRL minor premiership
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
