It’s the biggest fight of my life... I’ll never give up
MMA fighter Ryan tells of ‘progress’ after breaking his neck, back and spine
AN Irish MMA fighter who suffered life-altering injuries said from his hospital bed after emergency surgery that he is in the “biggest fight of my life”.
Dubliner Ryan Curtis, 31, broke his back, neck and spine two months ago during a training session in Belfast.
Loved ones feared for the young dad who is facing an uncertain future and the end of his MMA career.
UFC star Conor Mcgregor donated £25,000 (€29,000) to help Ryan, who has a three-year-old daughter called Kassia with partner Emma Zacharopoulou.
Amazingly, Ryan spoke yesterday from his hospital bed to reveal he is “making progress”.
He said: “I have good days and bad days. I’d like to say I’m positive 85% of the time and only 15% of the time negative thoughts creep in.
“I am an extremely positive person, but I am not a robot and the negative thoughts do come in.
I’d like to say I’m positive 85% of the time
JOURNEY
“On the whole, I’m doing very good. Some people try to smother the pain by being happy and having a laugh.
“I am a bubbly person but I definitely have my down days. My family and friends pick me up on those days. It’s a very lonely journey.
“It’s hard to contemplate when you are looking at your limbs and you are telling them to move and there’s nothing happening, it’s a bit crazy.
“We’re making progress. I know I will get through it. This is the biggest fight of my life and I am in fight camp right now.
“Every day, I have a job to do. All that is important for me is to get back on my feet for my family, especially Emma and my little girl Kassia.
“The early days were very dark. To hear a doctor say I may never walk again was hard.
“But I am making progress every day.
“I now have more movement of my right hand and arm. It is still very early on and I know it’s not going to be a quick fix.
“I will never give up.”
Friends of Ryan, from
Sean Mcdermott Street in the capital’s north inner city, launched a fundraiser after the accident on January 11.
At the time, Ryan’s pal and fellow fighter Leah
Mccourt said: “Ryan was involved in a life altering incident.
“The damage is classified as the most severe that can happen to a spinal cord.
“He was rushed to the Royal in Belfast and underwent emergency surgery.”
Ryan could not move his legs or his left arm and faced an estimated five months in hospital, followed by a “further period of time with a specialist spinal team”, according to Leah.
She added: “Ryan will never be able to do what he loves and fight or train in MMA again.
A sport he has dedicated his life to from the age of 11.”
Ryan has been a professional MMA fighter since 2015.
Yesterday, his partner Emma, who works in marketing, said: “I didn’t know the extent of the injury until I drove up to the hospital in Belfast
from our home in Dublin with our daughter. I went to the spinal ward and was told that he needed emergency surgery.”
She added: “He is really resilient and he will get through this.”
The fundraiser has raised £141,000 (€165k) of its £150,000 (€175k) target. Visit Gofundme if you wish to make a donation.