WATCH: In the heart-wrenching final episode of the Pure As video series, Silver Ferns shooter Maia Wilson reveals the on-court highs and off-court lows she's been through.
Maia Wilson's young life has already been an emotional rollercoaster.
While her netball career soars to new heights every time she takes the court, away from the roar of the crowds, the 23-year-old Silver Fern been dealing with tragic personal challenges.
In this harrowing but inspiring episode of Netball New Zealand's Pure As series, Wilson talks about losing her father and grandmother during her breakthrough season in 2016 - when she first made the Silver Ferns and played in the ANZ Premiership. And then supporting her mum who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year - moving back home to help her through her treatment.
"Somehow my life seems to be a rollercoaster," Wilson says. "Netball can be up, but the personal life is definitely crashing low. It's like a juggling act, putting the player hat on, then putting on the daughter, partner, sister, friend [hat] can get quite tough.
"But I'm just so grateful I get to live my dream.... I'm just glad that I was able to push through."
She talks about how important it is to wear the Wilson name on the back of her playing dress - knowing she takes her beloved dad with her every times she plays.
The 2021 edition of Netball NZ’s highly successful Pure As series takes fans on a new journey, with five episodes showing the incredible stories of individuals from across netball's wider high performance system.
Last year’s inaugural series was an instant hit with fans, with more than 1.5 million organic video views and a global reach of four million.
You can watch the first episode, with Cat Tuivaiti, here, episode two with NZ Men's captain Kruze Tangira here, episode three, Monica Falkner, here, and episode four on Silver Ferns manager Esther Molloy, here.
All episodes will be launched with an exclusive first watch through www.silverfans.co.nz, and shown on LockerRoom every Tuesday and Saturday.
