Abigail Spink
Eight-year-old Owen Gaudin has been recognised with a Lions Children of Courage Award for the resilience and determination he shows while living with progressive vision loss and profound deafness.
The Fairhall School student loves rugby and horse riding and refuses to let his disabilities hold him back.
Born profoundly deaf, Owen received cochlear implants at just six months old. At the age of four, he was diagnosed with Usher syndrome type 1, a rare genetic condition that could result in him losing his remaining sight entirely.
Despite facing more challenges than the average eight-year-old, Owen’s mum, Kate Gaudin, says he chooses to “get up every day with happiness” and truly “loves his life”.
A standout moment for the family was watching Owen play six matches in a recent rugby sevens tournament while managing high levels of fatigue.
“He was exhausted by the end of the day… but his dad was the proudest dad in the world,” Kate says.
On Owen receiving the Lions award, Kate says: "We see he's doing amazing, but it was really cool to see that others see that too. So, when I got the phone call to say he’d been nominated for it, I was taken back by that.”
"We're so quick to moan about little things. If we were given the vision that he's got, or given the hearing issue, how would we cope? I don't know. He does, and he does it so incredibly well" she continues.
Owen was nominated for the award by Marlborough Riding for the Disabled, alongside Eliana Brew, who also received a courage award.
Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor presented Owen with the award last week, an honour that made him feel “happy and proud”.
The event finished with Owen being allowed to wear the mayoral chain, something Kate says Nadine reserves for “very special people”.
