Australian Survivor’s Moana Hope has revealed the shocking twist in an online bullying story her disabled sister Lavinia is experiencing.
The former AFLW star, 35, is the sole caregiver for her sibling, nicknamed Vinny, who lives with a rare neurological condition called Moebius syndrome.
Moana spoke out about her Disrupting radio program this week, which discusses who was behind the death threats against her sister.
“I once received death threats for her… through messages, they went so far as to take pictures of her and point a shotgun at her head and say, ‘I’m going to be there tonight, I’m going to do this to her.’ ‘
After the messages were sent to police, the troll was tracked down and shockingly discovered to be a 13-year-old boy with autism who lived in a rural area.
Moana Hope (pictured right) has revealed the shocking twist in an online bullying story her sister Lavinia, aka Vinny, experienced (pictured left). The AFLW star is the sole caregiver for her sibling, who lives with a rare neurological condition called Moebius syndrome
“I once received death threats for her… through messages, they went so far as to take pictures of her and point a shotgun at her head and say, ‘I’m going to be there tonight, I’m going to do this to her.'”
“The end of this story might break your heart,” she said, before announcing that the boy had been put up for adoption.
“They feel like, ‘How come Vinny, who has special needs, is loved, and I can’t be loved and my family didn’t love me?’ and that made them so mad at Vinny… part of me wanted to hug them.”
When the police asked what they wanted her to do, Moana suggested she give the autistic boy some support and someone to listen to.
After the messages were sent to police, the troll was tracked down and shockingly discovered to be a 13-year-old boy with autism who lived in a rural area. “You just never know who is behind these comments or this bs on social media. So just ignore it,” she concluded
“You just never know who is behind these comments or this bs on social media. So just ignore it,” she concluded.
It comes as Hope and Miss Australia Maria Thattil made their romance Instagram official.
In a post to the social media platform on Sunday, the AFLW star and the model, 30, shared a sweet kiss.
The black and white image, in which the pair appeared totally in love, came with a caption in which Moana called Maria her “safe space.”
“I kissed a girl and she makes me happy,” she wrote, adding the hashtags #justus #mysafespace #raindrops.
Moana Hope and Miss Australia Maria Thattil have made their romance official on Instagram. In a post on the social media platform on Sunday, the AFLW star, 35, and the model, 30, shared a sweet kiss. Both shown
It comes after the athlete hit back at a troll who accused her of “moving on too quickly” with Maria, just weeks after splitting from wife Isabella Carlstrom.
The footballer ended their marriage last May. The couple shares daughter Svea and son Ahi.
An emotionally charged Moana said there are no set rules for when to move on if you break up.
“Can they send me the book on how to get divorced?” Moana said in a video on Instagram.
An emotionally charged Moana said in an Instagram video that there are no hard and fast rules for when to move on if you break up
“Is there an index section in that book that tells you how long you have to wait before being separated from someone before you find happiness?”
She went on to say that the choice to move forward is hers.
“Whether I date one person or multiple people… Whatever decision I make for me is my choice. I don’t have to follow a book,” she said.
The sportswoman added that she was “the happiest she has been in a long time” with Maria and that her mental health has also improved.
“If I decide to date… That’s my choice. “I don’t need anyone to tell me what’s acceptable,” she said.
‘Everyone is happy and healthy. Why can’t I move on?’
The athlete explained that she learned to love herself again, apart from her children who “will always come first.”
‘I just do me. That’s my only plan… I’m so excited about life and I’m in a good place. No amount of time can change that,” she finished.
Moana and Maria started dating after recently experiencing a high-profile breakup