It’s been a torrid few months for Bok supporters, who have probably spent a good few hours screaming at the telly in frustration, and I don’t think that’s going to change much in the coming months.

There are few sterner tests in the sporting world than facing up against the All Blacks, but sometimes just making it onto the field is a victory in itself.

Sadly we won’t be seeing Stormers favourite Siya Kolisi during this year’s Rugby Championship, injury having ruled him out for the entire tournament.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give him props for his remarkable journey to Springbok loosie though, so ready yourselves for a touch of the feels.

We covered the amazing story of Siya adopting his brother and sister HERE – you should give it a read if you’re not familiar with that gem – but now Men’s Health have really lifted the lid on the hardships Kolisi has overcome.

We’ll focus on his younger years, with this below coming from a story titled “Be Their Hero: Siya Kolisi’s Journey To Fatherhood“:

Growing up in the Zwide township in Port Elizabeth, Siya learnt a few things.

First, a plate of food was a rare sight. Often he lived on an empty stomach, barely getting by on the small jam sandwiches served up during break times at the local primary school.

Second, you didn’t need a lot. While his friends played with toys, he would drive a brick around the dusty yard outside of his home, content that his imagination would fill in the blanks…

Siya slept on the floor, laying out couch pillows to form a bed. He survived on water and any food his grandmother could find: vetkoek served up at tea with her friends or the deflated plastic bag of groceries she was able to afford when the money was there.

While he tucked into his small suppers, she would go hungry. “She never complained; she looked after me and she did anything she could for me,” he says. When she fell ill, he lapsed into a small state of panic. The rock of his life was crumbling and now the roles were reversed. He would bunk school to take care of her: washing her, feeding her, making sure she had water.

“She was everything to me: my parent, my best friend,” he says. He was at home when she collapsed in the kitchen and died in his arms. He remembers running outside and pleading for help, asking, in the final moments of his childhood innocence: “Is she dead?”

“But I’m glad I was there, that she didn’t die alone,” he says. “Always, I wish she was here right now, to see what I have made of myself.

I wish I could repay her for what she gave me.

For the advice, the inspiration; for all the days she put me ahead of herself and suffered so that I could be what I needed to be.”

Siya didn’t have much. What he did have was a selfless example of what it meant to be a real parent.

As for putting that example to good use, refer to the story mentioned above and the subsequent adoption of his brother and sister (HERE).

Of course he couldn’t have done it alone, heaping much of the praise on his now-wife Rachel:

With Rachel’s support, her unwavering belief in his ability to be a father, and her sacrifice which allowed him to make mistakes along the way, Siya eventually made the transition. With her help he navigated his way around balancing house rules, bed times, movie nights and church trips.

His sister has warmed up to him, his brother is now his best friend – and these flourishing relationships are frozen in snapshots spliced squarely between bright images of his rugby career on his Instagram. He’s filed papers, fielded phone calls, and sat in queues to finalise the adoption process – a tumultuous journey that is still ongoing.

And through it all, he’s discovered that what he wants most in the world is to be a great example to his brother and sister, and to his son. That when they look up, they will see what a real man should look like.

“Their role model should never be another kid’s dad. I want to be their hero.”

As one mate of mine put it – there he was reading this story, and as he finished something flew right into his eye causing a leak.

Hate it when that happens, right?

[source:menshealth]