The natural response to a spinal injury that leaves you paralysed from the chest down would be negativity and self-pity. Nathan Kirwan is not your run of the mill guy.
Last June, Nathan’s life was turned upside down. After a night out in Cork, the 24 year-old was walking home when he concedes that the Captain Morgans in his system led to the ill-advised decision to try and climb a tree. It was a decision that was to have serious implications both for Nathan and his family.
A thirty foot fall meant he was taken immediately by ambulance to Cork University Hospital, before the severity of the injuries led medical staff to decide that he needed to be rushed to the Mater Hospital in Dublin. After 12 hours in intensive care, the Marine Engineering student woke up to a tube wrenched down his throat and after five nights in Dublin, was told by the consultant from the National Rehabilitation Centre that he had a C4 spinal injury and would never walk again.
If that wasn’t enough anxiety for a family, at the same time his father Gerard was admitted into hospital and was put in an induced coma. His family had to leave Nathan’s bedside and focus their attentions elsewhere before returning again to Dublin.
A keen sailor, diver and boat builder, Nathan was due to begin the next chapter of his life last September as an engineer on board a cruise ship sailing around the world. Those plans have been temporarily put on hold, but the dreams are still very much in the pipeline.
Nathan has focused on his rehabilitation and has vowed to prove the consultant wrong.
“I don’t believe her (the consultant). I will walk again,” he wrote in the first blog post of the excellent NathansRecoveryBlog, which you can read here.
Not only has Nathan demonstrated strength and determination, so too has his family. The rehabilitation required to get the Carrigaline man back to full health comes with huge financial expenses. He is undergoing the treatment in Barcelona and the fundraising initiatives undertaken by the family is only a fraction of what is required.
One such fundraiser is the Diamond Ball which takes place on February 8th in the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork. Tickets are priced at €60 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster or by e-mailing [email protected]. Not only is it a great cause, each attendee is automatically entered into a draw to win a diamond worth €4,000.
Rather than dwell on the misfortune that has been bestowed upon him, Nathan has demonstrated a glass half full mentality, clearly shown by the following piece he has written to describe what he feels are the advantages of a spinal cord injury. Yes, what he feels are the benefits of such a life-changing injury.
“Spinal cord injury is a complicated affliction that affects so many parts of the body such that, it is a great mystery to me how I am not dead,” he concedes.
“The inability to control any muscles below the level of injury (in my case chest down) including diaphragm, bowel and bladder makes life pretty difficult, which is why I thought it would be interesting to turn it on its head.”
“Obviously I wouldn’t recommend a spinal cord injury for any reason at all, just thought I should show you some of the highlights in my life since June 3rd 2013.”
Advantages of spinal cord injury
- You never have to get up in the middle of the night to go for a wee
- You get free public transport
- Your shoes don’t get worn out
- You’re no longer expected to do menial chores such as the laundry
- You can skip all the queues at the airport
- You don’t have to get off your arse to do stuff
- There’s always a nurse in the shower with you
- You know you’ll always get a seat at the show
- More people give you nice presents
- People seem to think you’re great (but all I did was fall out of a tree)
- You meet some amazing people on a regular basis
- You no longer have to measure up with other fellas and get splash back in the urinals
- You get random inappropriate erections like you’re 12 again
- Your chances are greatly improved of making an Olympic team
- You’re on the receiving end of more random acts of kindness
- You get a fresh start in life
You can follow Nathan’s progress on his Facebook page The Nathan Kirwan Trust and any donations to the worthy cause can be made right here.
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