By BRIDGET COOK
HAMPTON Park’s Jai Barnard would have to be one the best known faces at the Casey Indoor Leisure Centre.
The eight-year-old boy spends most of his week there, cheering on his beloved players, helping out in the office, assisting with timesheets and high-fiving players before they take to the court.
On Saturday night he even stood at the front of the line-up of the Casey Cavaliers BigV team as they sang the national anthem before they took on the Mornington Breakers.
Jai’s mother Kerry said it was all because the Casey Basketball Association has seen how much joy basketball brings to his life and have gone above and beyond to make him welcome.
Jai was born with heart defect and an absent kidney and spent the first 12 months of his life in the Royal Children’s Hospital.
He underwent three open heart surgeries in his first year, he has a pacemaker and also had a tracheostomy for a couple of years.
When he was about 18 months old he suffered from strokes and had to go without part of his skull for a period of time.
He has since been left with brain damage, global developmental delay and mild cerebral palsy.
Ms Barnard said Jai had an extremely tough start to life.
“We were told many times that he wouldn’t make it and to prepare for the worst,” she said.
“But he showed them all just how strong he was and he is still here.
“Every day is a new chapter in his life, and he is still fighting and had major surgery coming up again soon.”
Ms Barnard said basketball has been a major part of Jai’s life and brings him so much happiness.
His loved of the sport stemmed from when his two brothers took it up with the Berwick Flames.
“He became their team mascot and they gave him a uniform and he would high-five all the kids before their game,” she said.
Ms Barnard said since then he has become the mascot for the whole stadium and has received great support from the Casey Cavaliers and other teams.
“One of the parents made him a referee top and they have arranged for an official badge to go on it,” she said.
“Everyone at the stadium just accepts him for the way he is and have made every effort to make him feel special.
“When we get to the stadium it’s like, ’Jai is in the house’.
“He goes into the office and helps them in there and when you walk around everyone is saying hi to him.”
Ms Barnard said she has been overwhelmed by the support from everyone at the stadium and wanted to thank those who had welcomed Jai with open arms.
“I don’t know half the people that make an effort with Jai,” she said.
“It’s a really heart-warming story when you walk around the stadium with him.
“I feel like he is teaching people down at the stadium as well that anything is possible.
“I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for what they’ve done.
“You’ll never know how much it means to Jai and our family.”
To follow Jai’s story search ’Jai Barnard The Basketball Mascot’ on Facebook.
