Jordan Ablett, wife of Geelong AFL champion Gary Ablett Jr, will open up about the challenges of raising a child with a disability in her new memoir, One Day.
The couple are parents to five-year-old son Levi, who suffers from a rare degenerative disease that seriously affects his respiratory system.
They never revealed Levi’s exact illness, but confirmed that he has a shorter life expectancy.
The mother of three teased the book on Instagram, saying she shed many tears while completing the memoir and hopes it offers hope to other parents who share similar challenges.
“I’m so excited to finally share with you that I’ve been working hard behind the scenes writing my own book for almost a year now!!!” she said in a lengthy post.
“I can’t explain how special this feels to me, and to my family, who have been through all of life’s highs and lows with me and felt every bump and joy along the way.
‘Many tears were shed while writing this book, both happy and sad, but being able to share my story and hopefully encourage others has made all the ‘feelings’ worth it.
‘I hope that by reading my story, parents of children with disabilities will feel less alone and more capable, and, if they don’t already, will look at their child through a different lens, by seeing them for who they are , a real treasure!’
Jordan Ablett, wife of Geelong AFL champion Gary Ablett Jr, will open up about the challenges of raising a child with special needs in her new memoir, One Day. The couple are parents to five-year-old son Levi, who suffers from a rare degenerative disease that seriously affects his respiratory system.
Jordan also thanked her family and close friends in the moving message and concluded her share with a heartbreaking tribute to her son and her late mother.
“Last, but certainly not least, to our boy Levi, who brings us so much joy, and to my dearly missed and adored mother… I love you,” she said.
Jordan and Gary have two other children: daughter Grace, two, and their youngest son, Ezra, one.
They never revealed Levi’s exact illness, but confirmed that his life expectancy has been shortened
Jordan recently spoke warmly about the beautiful bond that developed between Levi and his sister Grace and brother Ezra.
“Grace is almost two and a half now and they have a super fun bond and even with Ez, who is now seven months old, it’s fun to surround Levi with kids,” she told The Herald Sun in March.
The mother of three teased the book on Instagram, saying she shed many tears while completing the memoir and hopes it offers hope to other parents who share similar challenges
While the family cherishes the good times, Jordan acknowledged the increasing complexity that comes with Levi’s condition as he ages.
“Everyone keeps asking how he’s doing and to be honest he’s pretty much the same,” she said.
“I feel like we sound a little repetitive, but he’s getting older and he’s growing, which means more challenges arise, but we’re managing.”
One Day at a Time will be published by Harper Collins on April 2, 2025.