She was not only inspirational with her positive attitude after what she has been through, but she was a kind person and would put others before herself. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. Her time as a Blue - although hampered by her injury - has been impactful for her forward counterparts as well, with Darcy Vescio speaking highly of Austin as a player, teammate and person. Since her diagnosis the travel industry charity Abta LifeLine was involved in helping to support Mia through fundraising for a specially-adapted car.

She was a party animal before her incident but she doesn’t let it stop her doing anything now, either - she doesn’t class herself as disabled. With the pressures that come with Austin’s Rising Star, Polatajko has given the 19-year-old reassurance that her team will support her the whole time.With a breakout season comes attention, from both the media and her opposition, something Austin will work to get used to.

This is a recognition for all of her charity work, campaigning, writing a book and being a role model for thousands of people thank you for every single person who voted for her you have no idea how much it would of meant to her to know she had won we just wish she had of been there to see it.Mia Austin, 29, from Bebington defied the odds after being diagnosed with locked-in syndrome in 2009. Mia was then diagnosed with an extremely rare condition known as ‘locked in syndrome’ which medics have described as “the closest thing to being buried alive”. She later had one placed in her mouth, but choked on the sweet and became unconscious and died at the scene, despite the efforts of those with her in the chalet, park staff and paramedics.

This caused a blockage in her airway and, as she was unable to bring it up, it caused asphyxiation,” said the coroner Dewi Pritchard. Mia Austin, from the Wirral in Merseyside, was visiting a holiday park in north Wales when she tried to eat a marshmallow, an inquest in Caernarfon heard. We were all watching her work so hard to get back to that condition she was in because she had a great couple of games last year, but it’s been a real privilege to watch her up close, watch her take on the games,” Vescio said.While it took Austin until Round 3 to impact the scoreboard, it has been nothing but impressive progress since, with her fourth two-goal effort of 2023 coming against Greater West Sydney in Round 8 and earning her an AFLW Rising Star nomination.

IN HER very short career, Mia Austin has had to overcome what most footballers deal with over the course of a storied career. Carole Van Niekerk said: "I’m absolutely devastated to hear this, for her, for her family and for her friends. I feel like in that time I wanted to work on things I probably wasn’t as good at, like ground-level work and being better at that.

She wanted to win so she could raise more awareness about the issues close to her heart and to extend her charity work.