KC Melbourne Herriman-Place is a dedicated Demon fan and has been since the day he was born, as exhibited by his middle name.
This year, KC’s love of the Dees has become a little bit more special, with his incredible journey of strength and resilience honoured in the club’s 2024 Indigenous guernsey, designed by his sister Mali Isabel.
Mali, an Arabana and Kokatha artist, chose to centre her artwork around her brother’s story of cardiomyopathy, having suffered his first cardiac arrest at just 11 years old.
His connection to the Dees is a particularly special part of his journey, so Mali was thrilled at the opportunity to showcase this during Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
To highlight the incredible story of this brother-sister duo, we’ve put together a timeline of their journey with the Dees…
2018 | KC suffers his first cardiac arrest at 11 years old
While playing basketball, KC suffered his first of multiple cardiac arrests. He’s diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and is put on the transplant waitlist.
2018 - 2020 | KC spends time in hospitals in Narrm and is visited by Dees players
During his time in hospital, KC was visited by a number of Dees players such as Christian Petracca and Jack Viney and now credits these visits for getting him through the difficult time.
Throughout this period, he attended family day events for the club and was even given the opportunity to run out on the ‘G alongside Petracca – his connection to the Dees stronger than ever before.
2020 | KC undergoes a heart transplant
After 405 days on the transplant waitlist, KC received the call that he would undergo a heart transplant, with his life changed forever.
2023 | Mali is confirmed as the club’s 2024 Indigenous guernsey artist
Mali messaged the club asking if she could honour her brother’s story in an Indigenous guernsey, with the Dees jumping at the opportunity to showcase such a powerful journey.
KC was told the exciting news at Adelaide Oval, Viney reconnecting with the family to share the announcement.
2024 | April | Mali launches her 2024 Indigenous guernsey
Titled ‘My Heart Beats True’, Mali launched her 2024 Indigenous guernsey for Narrm Football Club in April.
Through her intricate artwork, Mali highlighted her culture, KC’s resilience and her family’s connection to the Dees.
You can learn more on the detail of the design here.
2024 | May | Mali and KC visit the Dees
To kick off Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Mali and KC travelled from Adelaide to AAMI Park to speak to the club about their journey.
In a powerful talk with both the AFL and AFLW playing groups, KC spoke of his time with cardiomyopathy and the positive impact the club had on him during this period.
He emphasised the importance of being an organ donor and urged the playing group to remember this when pulling on the jumper.
