On 9th November 2014, I was captaining the Faculty of Biological Sciences Society (FobSoc) rugby team in an intramural match against the physics department, when I made a poor tackle and was left unconscious for several seconds. On coming round, I found that my neck was sore and, once the game finished and I had returned home, I eventually made my way to hospital for a precautionary examination. I was eventually diagnosed as having smashed my C1 vertebrae in multiple places and was advised that I was extremely lucky not to be paralysed from the neck down. I opted to avoid surgery and to instead immobilise my head and neck in a halo brace for a minimum of 3 months while it healed naturally. This unfortunately resulted in the postponement of my final year of university and necessitated the need to move home and live with my parents who could then better support me. This would be the first time that I had lived at home for any extended period since I went to boarding school at the age of 11 and despite the newly installed halo around my head, I knew that I was no angel and the new situation would take a bit of adjusting to. Whilst I appreciated that I was lucky not to be paralysed, I was not content with just sitting back and counting my blessings and was determined to make a full recovery as swiftly as possible and return to finish my degree the following year.
To achieve this goal, I remained in the halo head brace for 4 months until sufficient bone healing had occurred. In this time, I also bought a turbo trainer to fit to my bike so that I could sit and still maintain a light level of activity despite my upper body restrictions. Upon the halo’s removal, I then had a further 6 weeks in a hard neck collar before being allowed to move it freely and gradually begin building up the strength in my neck again. During this period of significantly reduced mobility, I had gained considerable weight while losing muscle mass, and I therefore had the additional challenge of restoring my physical fitness as well as the health of my neck.
To restore my independence, I also moved back to my university accommodation in Leeds and gained a new job and joined the university gym. I sought advice from physiotherapists and personal trainers and began to strictly manage my exercise and diet. I was relieved to find that, through my discipline and perseverance, my fitness bounced back over the summer and by the time the new academic year began, I had largely addressed the physical decline induced by my months of restricted activity. I am proud to have graduated from the University of Leeds in July 2016 with a BSc (Hons) Biology (1st Class) and was even named on the prestigious Dean's List for that year. I also successfully achieved my aspiration of restoring my fitness to a good level and less than a year later I climbed several mountain peaks during my travels in New Zealand.
The entire experience was possibly one of the most challenging of my life and I found myself tested both mentally and physically. It did however highlight to me a level of resilience that I had not previously recognised and the value of self-discipline and a clear plan to achieve a goal. Furthermore, without sounding to cliché, it emphasised to me the need to enjoy life to the full as it can all be changed very suddenly and I think this is partly what drove me to go travelling after graduating and to really pursue a career that I enjoy. Finally, it did also register to me the importance of maintaining strong connections with family and friends. In the period of recovery after my injury, I lost nearly all the independence that I had taken for granted and I count myself as truly fortunate to have regained this subsequently. When something like this happens, you are forced to become reliant on others for basic help and support and it allows your true friends to crystalise from the indifferent. The experience has made me more introspective and mindful of both my own actions and those of others and whilst I wish that the injury hadn’t occurred, I can recognise that it has taught me a lot.
P.S - I still love watching rugby and am an avid Gloucester RFU supporter!
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