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The great Jonah Lomu of the All Blacks and his wife Nadene.
Jonah Lomu’s widow paid tribute to the All Blacks legend five years after his sudden death shook the rugby world.
Nadene Lomu posted a heartfelt message on social media Wednesday, saying that “her insides are bruised and crushed beyond repair.”
Lomu, 40, died unexpectedly at his Auckland home on November 18, 2015 of a heart attack, which was linked to his rare kidney disorder.
The giant wing had not long returned from Dubai, where it had been on vacation after the Rugby World Cup in the UK, when it collapsed and could not be resurrected.
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“I never thought that a single person could shatter my heart into a trillion pieces, pieces that could never be completely put back together,” Nadene posted on Facebook.
ALAN APTED / THINGS / Things
Nadene Lomu and her sons Brayley, 10, left, and Dhyreille, 9, gathered at Manukau Memorial Gardens in Auckland on June 11, 2018 for the unveiling of Jonah Lomu’s headstone.
“To this day, 5 years ago, that’s exactly what happened … Jonah, you shattered my world with your departure to the point that I struggled to breathe … I know you would give anything to be here with your boys and me right now, like me too … just one last thing, everything you ever wanted for us and more, everything we were working for together.
“There isn’t a time when I don’t want you to be here. I feel bad, I’d rather sleep all day and wake up the next morning just to get through, but I can’t, I can’t because your boys need me to be their pillar of strength. They need me to smile even though my insides are aching and crushed beyond repair. “
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The highlight of All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu’s rugby career.
Lomu had battled kidney disorders since late 1995, when he was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome.
He received a kidney transplant in 2004 and suffered health setbacks during the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
At the time of his death, former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew described him as “a bolt out of nowhere,” especially since the man who swept the rugby world 10 years earlier, at the World Cup in South Africa had been in good shape in the previous months.
Dave Rogers / Getty Images
All Black Jonah Lomu leaves Frenchman Christophe Lamaison in his wake during France’s famous World Cup semi-final victory against New Zealand in 1999.
Lomu and Nadene had two children together: Brayley and Dhyreille, who were 6 and 5 years old respectively when Lomu died.
“In my moments of weakness you are my strength, I listen to you, I feel you and I know that you are taking care of us and you still walk by my side,” Nadene’s tribute continued.
“I will always be your voice for what you wanted and what you believed in, but above all, I maintain your strength to be the best that I can be for your boys, as you also asked me, no matter what, no matter who thinks they know best .
“I will always love you Jonah, my heart will always be yours and our boys will always be my everything in this life and the next, even FOREVER. Sincerely.”
Lomu was the youngest All Black debutant (19 years 45 days) when he first played for the Men in Black in 1994.
He then went on to score 43 attempts in 73 tests. He last represented New Zealand in 2002.
