An Irishman who was paralysed in a cycling crash has been given a boost as the public has responded with great generosity to a fundraising drive that aims to help him, and his family, face the next challenges in their lives.
Eoghan Gorman was out on
his mountain bike in the Dublin Mountains on Sunday, October 3rd last, when he
crashed on a trail and fractured his spin. The Dubliner was put into an
induced coma and on a life support machine as well as undergoing emergency
spinal surgery.
While his family was told by medical staff he may never
be able to breathe by himself again, and so would not be able to come off the
ventilator, his condition has since improved and he is now breathing
unassisted.
However, the devastating news for him is that he is
paralysed from the shoulders down, with no control of his upper body or legs.
He has been treated at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire,
south Dublin, where staff and working towards Eoghan being able to return home.
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The fundraiser launched for him online – which you can access here – is intended to help pay for the modifications now needed at his home and to provide care for him. The goal of the campaign is to raise €90,000, with just over €80,000 having been contributed by 1,800 donors to date. And that sum is still increasing.
Just before his
crash he had moved out of the family home in Clondalkin, Dublin, and moved into
a new place with his partner, Saoirse, in Newcastle, Co Dublin. He was also
serving his time to be a cabinet maker with Kilmmek Furniture.
In
its GoFundMe appeal, his family sys he had “a very bright future ahead of him”
and “had everything going for him” until the crash occurred and “his life
changed forever”.
A very keen
cyclist, especially BMX and mountain biking, Eoghan also competed in Taekwondo for over a
decade. He represented Ireland at the World Kickboxing Championships in 2016,
as well as being selected onto other Irish teams.
