Summary:
During this snippet of Dan Walker’s interview, we touch on the importance of taking care of our body, as a whole, during times where our day to day circumstances or even lifestyle may change.
For Dan, his lifestyle changed significantly, initially, when his brother Tāhu was diagnosed with stage 4 Brain Cancer and changed even further after his eldest son Joshie was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a type of Bone Cancer. In the interview, Dan tells us the story about how this diagnosis changed not only Joshie’s taha tinana and physical body but also the impact it had on his own.
Dan is a sensei in karate, plays soccer for Hibiscus Coast, MVP in 2020 might we add, and also enjoys running. Dan is definitely an active person and enjoys being active especially if it involves spending time with his tamariki. However, when Dan’s day to day life changed, his schedule and his ability to take care of his body in terms of being active and moving were very limited. He knows that what he needed to do at that time was be with his family and support them the best he could, but Dan recognises, in reflection of the last year, the importance of maintaining or trying to maintain one’s physical wellness, despite the challenge you might be facing, as it will help!
This act of taking care of your body needs to be on your priority list because you need your own wellness cup filled so that you can share and provide action and energy to others. This is reflected in Sir Mason Durie’s Māori Health model of Te Whare Tapa Whā, which Dan refers to, which is based on a Whare and its four walls. When there is one component laking, or one wall that is fallen, whether that be Tinana/body, Whanau/family and connections, Hinengaro/mind or Wairua/spirit, in Dan’s case it was his tinana/body, but when one component is lacking the others are affected as well and it takes a toll on your overall wellness. This is why it is so important not only to take care of your tinana/body but to also check in with yourself and the state of all pillars to ensure you are looking after yourself the best you can.
