Hurler faces up to his biggest challenge

He has an All-Ireland final in Croke Park tonight, and a wedding date with his fiancée in little over a month. But Charleville hurler Des Fitzgerald has already proved there is no challenge he can’t confront.

A freak collision in a club game in October left the hurler temporarily paralysed from the neck down, with a bleed in the spinal chord. It was a one in a million incident but left Des with a life-changing challenge that he’s met head on every day at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire.

His Charleville club mates are hoping he’ll be the inspiration that can catapult them to All-Ireland success in tonight’s Junior Hurling decider at Croke Park against St Patrick’s from Kilkenny. They can’t help but be inspired.

“Sarah [his fiancée] is going to pick me up on Saturday morning and we’re going to drive over to the team hotel. It’s huge for me to see the lads. It’s hard not to be playing but at the same time, I’m just so happy they’ve come so far. They’re really a driving force for me. When I see them doing so well, I’m down with the physio [in Dun Laoghaire] trying to push myself that bit harder. It gives you inspiration.”

Speaking for the first time about the incident, Des recalls: “I saw the ball around the 21-yard line and I dived in to flick it away. I was at full-reach and my two legs were in the air, and I got a knee somewhere. I remember when it happened initially at the game, I looked over and saw my hand on the ground. I thought it was chopped off because I could see it but I couldn’t feel it. I knew straight away. I could shrug my shoulder but anything below that, I couldn’t move a thing.”

Charleville club chairman Mike Walsh always admired Dessie’s approach to life and hurling, and was in little doubt he would face this challenge with courage.

“He’s very strong, very determined and a great character. Dessie’s got a great attitude to life. Whatever he turns his hand to, he’ll make it happen. In hurling he was a leader for our team and the way he was in helping young players was just fantastic.”

After spending time at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, the Charleville man was moved to Dun Laoghaire, where the fightback began.

“It’s like hurling training, the more you put in, the more you’re going to get out. That’s my attitude. I start at 10 o’clock in the morning here and I don’t finish until five o’clock. It’s really intense but intense is the way you’d want it. It’s like running a marathon every day.

“I’ve got movement back everywhere. My hands, I can now hold a fork with a big handle. My legs have got so much stronger. I’ve taken a few steps with a zimmerframe — there was physiotherapists around me, but that’s huge and that was only last week. It’s going to be slow. What they’re saying is that it’s going to take two years and then you see how far you’ve come after the two years.”