Jai Arrow’s wife admits her denial at MND diagnosis and being ‘scared’ of the future in emotional admission

Jai Arrow’s wife, Berina Colakovic, has revealed she was “in denial” about the possibility of her husband being seriously ill right up until it was confirmed, despite his visible decline.

The NRL star was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in May, following months of increasing issues with his health.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Ms Colakovic admits to putting on a brave face for her partner and their 15-month old daughter Ayla when the future has her ‘worried’.

“I have moments. I’ll be crying on the way to Ayla’s daycare and thinking, ‘Am I going to be a widow before the age of 40? Is she going to know her dad? Are we going to be able to grow our family?” she told the publisher.

“I’m scared, to be honest, of the unknown of the future.”

The 31-year-old married the rugby legend last week, in an intimate ceremony in Sydney, after getting engaged in Italy in 2024.

Ms Colakovic revealed the couple had avoided receiving a prognosis and stayed in denial right up until their worst fears were confirmed, but are now fully aware of the battle ahead.

“I’ve been in denial. The whole time until we got the MND diagnosis in May, I just said, ‘No, no, it’s not that’,” she said.

The Canadian-born digital marketing executive went on to explain how the couple had attended an MND fundraiser in November last year, with no idea of the fate awaiting them.

“It was heartbreaking,” she continued.

“I was looking at this man and how his speech had gone.

“He was older than Jai, but he had two girls and his wife and I remember thinking ‘God, I hope this doesn’t happen to anybody. It’s horrible’.”

But tragically, a few months later it would indeed happen to them.

“Jai was saying in December last year that he felt like his speech was going and he couldn’t talk properly,” she said.

“Then his shoulder started to twitch and we knew there was definitely something going on.”

The average life expectancy is 2-3 years from diagnosis, according to MND Australia, but its progression can vary depending on treatment and the severity of the disease.

Since the diagnosis, the family have thrown themselves into trying to understand the disease and figuring out treatment plans.

“Since we got the diagnosis he’s been the busiest person in Australia. He hasn’t stopped,” she continued.

“He’s had to look at doctors, treatment, alternative therapies and also sort things like getting our life in order and figuring out things for Ayla’s future.

“It’s stuff you don’t think you need to do when you’re 31.”

Ms Colakovic revealed that their daughter is too young to understand what is going on or the journey her father is facing, but that things are changing quickly..

“There’s two medications that are approved in Australia for MND patients and one is done through an infusion,” she said.

“The nurse comes to your house, sets up the machine and starts doing the infusion.

“Ayla was home when Jai was getting it done and saw the nurse sticking the needle in his arm and she started crying. I think it scared her a little bit.

“She definitely can sense that there’s something going on now.”

Ms Colakovic went on to say that the illness has irreversibly changed how the family look at life.

“Health and happiness are two things you can’t buy and very important to cherish if you have,” she continued.

“Never in my life did I expect this to happen and every day for me is emotionally very different. It’s really put perspective on enjoying now and spending time with the people that matter most.”