Leon tackles adversity head on

For a while now, Leon Karemaker has been heeding an inner voice insisting he make a fist of professional rugby despite all evidence to the contrary.

The defiant voice first piped up when the Griquas No8 was diagnosed with a rare degenerative eye disease, Stargardt Syndrome, in 2003.

The syndrome is caused by a group of inherited diseases that results in light-sensitive cells in the retina deteriorating, particularly where fine focusing occurs. Central vision loss occurs, while peripheral vision is usually retained.

Or as Karemaker put it: "The difference between you and me is that you can focus with your eyes, but I have a black spot in the middle. I've still got my peripheral vision and because I rely on it, it's quite advanced."

Still, it was tough for an 18-year-old to learn he was steadily going blind.

"It happened right before Craven Week," he said this week. "I remember thinking: 'Why me?', but I had to decide there and then. Was I going to sulk and be negative about it or was I going to Craven Week?"

He chose Craven Week, and became a member of the SA team that won the IRB Under-19 World Championships. under the captaincy of Paul Delport.

While his teammates from that side - Earl Rose, Steven Sykes, Alistair Hargreaves, Pieter Louw and Richardt Strauss - got on with their careers, Karemaker had to learn to live with a disability.

Having lived and played with Stargardt's Syndrome for seven years, he said he didn't think it was much of an issue any more. But it still took some adjusting.

"I can catch the up and under. But I have to focus really hard on the ball - and that's when the big hits come in! I'm so used to it, it's not even something I think about on the field. Also, my eyes degenerate so slowly I don't even realise it."

He can do most things, like play golf and drive a car, but struggles with reading: "I have to hold the book really close to my face and must look above the words to see them. "It's quite funny to look at."

To protect his eyes, he has to wear a hat and sunglasses pretty much all the time to shield them from the sun. Cue the blind jokes from his teammates.

Having made the adjustment to playing with his condition, "Karre" suffered another setback when a lengthy groin injury led Western Province to terminate his contract.

Not long after that, he was diagnosed with diabetes while playing club rugby in Cape Town in 2008: "From 109kg, I lost 20kg, but when I went on insulin I picked up five kilos in one week. But the diet for diabetes is great for your shape because you can't get fat. I weigh 101kg but I'm in the best shape of my life as I only have 8% body fat."

While a diagnosis of diabetes might have felled somebody else, Karemaker dusted himself off again and went to play for French Second Division club Orelac. They dropped him after a year because "someone opened his mouth about Stargardt's and exaggerated the whole thing", he said

Tired of his itinerant rugby career, Karemaker quit the game to work in construction in May last year: "I just wanted to get my life going. I felt that if I kept looking for the next team I'd end up putting off doing what I should have been doing."

But then he got a call from his agent, Anthony Johnson, late last year saying Griquas had come knocking.

"I decided I need some rugby in my life after all," laughed Karemaker. "So I've been with Griquas since November."

Griquas coach Dawie Theron made it clear he expected a lot from his long shot.

"He said: 'Just make it worthwhile that I signed you'," said Karemaker. "He's a hard guy but that's how he motivates you. But I know this is make or break."

Initially contracted for the Vodacom Cup, the 25-year-old has secured himself a Currie Cup contract that ends in October.

He's even allowed himself to dream, hoping to go one better than almost making the Cheetahs' bench earlier this year by being in the Super 15 squad next season.

With his broad-shouldered approach to life so far, anything is possible.