DEBRA Australia is pleased to announce its new Ambassador, Matt Bevilaqua.
Matt Bevilacqua is an Australian Ironman and DEBRA Australia Ambassador who also suffers from EB Simplex. Despite struggling with the condition Matt’s Ironman career has been a rollercoaster; first competing in numerous state teams for Tasmania and when he was just 16 years old Matt became the youngest person at the time to win the Tasmanian Open Ironman title and went on to win the race three years in a row. After completing school Matt chose to pursue his dream of becoming an Ironman and moved to Mooloolaba to train with the Michael King Ironman Academy.
Two years after his move Matt achieved his dream and made history by becoming the first ever Tasmanian to qualify for the Nutri-Grain Ironman series. After finishing 9th in his debut series last year Matt finished 7th in the 2014/15 Nutri Grain Ironman Series which qualified him for his third straight Series in 2015/2016.
As a child growing up with a family history of mild EB Matt became aware of the impact EB has on lifestyle and participating in sporting teams and other events. Matt feels privileged to be an ambassador for DEBRA as it will allow him opportunities to raise the profile of the disease, raise money for research and to meet children and families who courageously overcome the daily challenges of EB.
Welcome to the DEBRA Australia family Matt and thank you for all your efforts in helping bring awareness of EB to the people of Australia.