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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=454589" target="_blank">
'Hulk' heartboken by hospital snub
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<a href="/go=news.detail&gid=454589" ><img class="photo" src="http://img.mixedmartialarts.com/method=get&rs=80&q=75&x=1&y=122&w=310&h=165&ro=0&s=soa-palelei.jpg" /></a>
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<p>Soa Palelei is a ferocious fighter, and, as is so often the case, a tremendous human being. 'The Hulk' helped raise $60,000 for sick children, and will attempt to raise $10,000 more this weekend, spending 24 hours on a Grinder exercise machine, with no bathroom break.</p>
Find out more about how to contribute to the telethon.
However, the Make-A-Wish Foundation ambassador was banned last week from visiting ill children at Australia's Princess Margaret Hospital. While MMA and boxing are both legal, the cage safety enclosure is not, and became a topic of political debate. So the hospital made the decision to ban the fighter from the premises
"Following the significant media coverage of controversy surrounding UFC and 'cage' fighting, which is currently banned in Western Australia, a decision was made by the Princess Margaret Hospital Executive that it would not be appropriate to have a representative of the sport visit the hospital," said spokesperson to CNN. ... "Princess Margaret Hospital has a duty of care to its patients, their families and staff. With many people in the community having very strong views about this particular sport, due to its perceived level of violence, executive staff felt this was the best decision at the time."
Palelei, 38, who has a son with absent epilepsy and is devoted to helping ill children, tried to remain positive.
"It's so disappointing," said Palelei to Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. "I was kind of heartbroken when they told me. I was like, 'What? Are you serious?' I'm a big fan of boxing, but you've got 12 rounds continuously getting punched in the head. MMA, 80 percent of it is grappling and submissions. It's just crazy. I guess it's just narrow-minded people."
"It's disappointing in a way, but it's not about me and them," Palelei said. "It's about raising money for the kids.
"I know how parents feel with their kids when kids are sick with cancer and stuff like that. You don't want them to have pain."
"I thought it was discrimination against me and my sport. But this has nothing to do with the UFC. It's raising money."
"This is what I like doing. Our sport is nothing compared to what these kids go through all day every day."
Find out more about how to contribute to the telethon.
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