Kempsey local Kaiden Sheppard is a rising star in the martial arts world, but he also faces another fight of his own: type 1 diabetes.
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However, the 15-year-old doesn't think of his diabetes condition as a roadblock.
"He doesn't let it get in the way," his mum Emma Westley said. "It can be tough in the sense that it is always in the back of his mind when he fights, but he doesn't let it stop him."
Kaiden was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of nine. It is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels.
Kaiden's mum said it was hard for him and the family to process the news at first.
"It's scary for kids to be told that you have a medical condition that you need an adult brain to deal with," she said.
"We wanted to show him that this condition doesn't stop him from doing the things he loves... and he quickly grew to understand that."
Kaiden joined Kempsey's Zen Chi Ryu Martial Arts when he was 10 and has gone on to excel in the sport.
In 2022, he competed in the journey State Titles and at the Australian Titles where he came in the top five in some of his events.
"It was amazing to see how far he went last year," Westley said. "It was a huge effort, he competed against kids and adults from all over Australia, and he was super proud.
"He likes to be an inspiration to kids who have type 1 diabetes, and to show them that they can still follow their dreams."
Outside of martial arts, Kaiden has continued to be an inspiration to the community.
In 2019, he received the Little Courage Ambassador Award as part of the DANII Foundation for his unflinchingly positive attitudes in dealing with type 1 diabetes. In 2023, Kaiden was nominated for the Australia Day Local Hero Award.
Kaiden also joined the Smithtown Tigers club last year and received the Jerry Egan Sportsmanship award.
Westley said Kaiden wants to continue to be an inspiration to those have shared his struggles.
"There's a lot of kids who have type 1 diabetes in the Mid North Coast community, and it can be hard on kids and families when they're first navigating the condition," she said. "Kaiden likes to show them that they can still do the things they love.
"We are just super proud that he can show those kids who are maybe a bit down that they can keep going and it doesn't have to stop them from achieving their goals."
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