Con O'Callaghan to auction signed All-Ireland final jersey for clubmate with brain injury
Dublin star Con O'Callaghan is to auction off his All-Ireland final jersey for charity.
The auction will raise funds for Sean Drummond, who suffered a traumatic brain injury last March.
Drummond and O'Callaghan are clubmates at Cuala GAA and the jersey - signed by the five-in-a-row winning Dublin team - will be auctioned on eBay.
A GoFundMe page - Support4Drummo - has also been set up to help raise funds, which has collected more than €54,000.
According to the GoFundMe page, Drummond was knocked down in London and "suffered a traumatic brain injury with multiple skull and facial fractures".
We are absolutely delighted to announce that Con O’Callaghan has donated his 2019 All Ireland final Jersey to the #Support4drummo fundraising campaign.
— Cuala GAA (@CualaCLG) September 20, 2019
The jersey is being auctioned for the next week on EBay.https://t.co/ARRTOigwjP
Thank you. pic.twitter.com/lgJjrNitS8
"He was brought straight to theatre for life-saving surgery to stop the bleeding and to relieve pressure on his brain in order to save his life.
"Within his first 72 hours in hospital, Sean was on life support in the Acute Care Unit and had to undergo two more emergency operations to remove large sections of his skull to reduce the pressure due to swelling on his brain.
"For the next two months, Sean lay in bed in a coma, fighting infections, whereby every day there were new challenges.
"In May, he finally underwent extremely complex surgery to insert artificial plates in his skull. It was the first time that surgeons have replaced this much skull in a patient."
Last June, Drummond was able to breathe without the help of a machine and in July he was transferred to the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in Putney "a programme of intensive rehabilitation".
The hospital "specialises in treating people with prolonged disorders of consciousness".
"We have been told by the medical professionals that recovery levels are hard to predict, as everyone’s brain injuries are unique.
"Sean is yet to regain full consciousness so as of early September, we are still in unknown territory as to what the future holds for Sean."
It adds: "There is a lot that we do know about him - Sean is determined and courageous, persistent and tough - and has youth on his side."
The GoFundMe was set up to help Drummond on the rehabilitation journey.
"We do not yet know the level of funding required to ensure Sean has the best chances to one day return to the life he imagined for himself.
"He will require specialist equipment, intensive rehab courses and all the care and support that he can get for a long time - and maybe forever."
The highest bid on O'Callaghan's signed jersey currently stands €4,950, and the auction will finish on September 27.
O'Callaghan helped the Dubs
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The attacker chipped in with three points on the day to add a fourth All-Ireland medal to his collection.
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