Zane Tetevano: Leeds Rhinos prop on his stroke and subsequent recovery

“I was in denial. I was like ‘this can’t be happening, no way. How can I have a stroke? Why?'”

Zane Tetevano is aware of how lucky he is. The Leeds Rhinos prop suffered a stroke in training earlier this season and is now recovering.

The 32-year-old needs to undergo surgery to repair the hole in his heart which caused the stroke.

The incident happened “a number of weeks ago”, in a training session that began as normal.

“It was just a normal training day. I was the first one out there and I had a spring in my step and was ready to crack on with the session,” he said.

“We started warming up with a simple three v two and when I was speaking to my mates I just started slurring my words from my right side. It felt like my tongue was hanging out.

“I missed like three plays and the staff were like “are you alright?” and I said “no, no. I can’t feel my face” and then [Leeds’ performance director] Richard Hunwicks ran over and he said “what’s going on?” and I told him how I felt and then I started kicking my leg and all the stroke symptoms started popping up.

“They didn’t want to shout out that I was having a stroke because all of the lads were around. They called the medics and things moved quite quickly. The ambulance came and then the nurses came and I got given the medication to thin out the blood clot that was in my brain.”

Tetevano has been cleared to return to non-impact aerobic training, but not yet contact sport, and he ran the Leeds 10K in 48:26 on Sunday to raise money for charity.

The former Newcastle Knights, Sydney Roosters and Penrith Panthers player has not appeared for the Rhinos since a red card at Wigan on 12 May and there is no timeframe on his potential return.

With his playing career entering its final stages, he reflects on his experiences knowing that the stroke could have brought it to an early end.

“I’m 32 years old so it has crossed my mind that my career could be over but I’m optimistic. I’m hopeful,” he added.

“I just think about my own children. It’s heartbreaking for parents to have to go through this. I’ve had my problem and I’ve overcome it.

“I was running with [Leeds boss] Rohan Smith and Richard and the topic came up in conversation. I said ‘look man, I’m able to run now. I should raise funds to give back’.

“Our kids are our priority. I’m fortunate to be in this position and I want to give back to the community.”