Former NRL star and host of The Footy Show Beau Ryan rushed to be at the bedside of a terminally ill woman and fan on Tuesday night, according to a series of social media posts.
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Australian Rugby Sevens player Mahalia Murphy had posted a Facebook status saying that her friend, Kia Lettice, was in Sydney's Prince of Wales hospital with cancer and did not have long to live, and wanted nothing more than a visit from either Greg Inglis or Beau Ryan.
The post was shared over 600 times and shortly afterwards, Ryan commented, saying he was leaving Shellharbour and that he'd be there in two hours, before urging Ms Lettice to "stay strong".
The 31-year-old former rugby league star was then photographed with both Ms Murphy and Ms Lettice at the Prince of Wales Hospital at just after 10pm.
In a second Facebook post, Ms Murphy described Ryan's visit as a "priceless moment for my girl".
"The energy she gained from his presence was amazing! Beau Ryan is a legend!," she wrote.
The rugby league community was quick to praise the former Shark and Tiger, with Dragons' back-rower Joel Thompson praising him as "a champion" and fans of all teams tweeting their support.
Ryan began his NRL career with the Wests Tigers in 2007 and played over 100 first grade games before moving to the Cronulla Sharks in 2013. He retired in the middle of 2014 due to injuries.
He began making appearances on Channel Nine's The Footy Show in 2009 and has become a full-time host of the program.
- The article first appeared on the Sydney Morning Herald
