Quins ace is battle-ready after fighting for his life
HARLEQUINS fly-half Demetri Catrakilis has revealed how close he came to dying in the immediate aftermath of an early season injury.
Catrakilis, 28, made a welcome return to action against Newcastle last week – six months after the horror clash with Gloucester centre Andy Symons in September that fractured a bone in his throat and left him unable to breathe until medics came to his rescue.
The South African star feels lucky to be playing again, telling The Rugby
Paper: “It was nasty injury and my throat swelled up significantly. My airway was almost completely closed, I stopped breathing and, being perfectly honest, it was close to being all over.
“Our physios were first on the field and they weren’t sure what was going on. It had never happened to any of us before and I was trying to communicate to them that I needed to get to hospital because I couldn’t breathe, but I couldn’t speak either. “It was pretty traumatic but eventually they understood and got me into a position where I could just about breathe, but I was gasping for air for about an hour and a half before I got to hospital, where they put needles in me and the swelling came down.
“It’s been one of the biggest challenges of my life because at one stage I wasn’t sure if I was going to get back out there.
“I had to fight to do all the simple things in life like breathing properly, eating and speaking – and when that was done I had to get fit again.”
Rugby seems incidental but Johannesburg-born Catrakilis describes how he overcame the pain and mental anguish of his situation to continue the career he loves.
He explained: “Directly after my initial scan the doctor told me he wasn’t too sure how my injury was going to heal or if I’d be able to breathe again at the intensity you need to play. I was stuck in limbo for three months.
“Once my throat healed I worked with an airway and speech coach, and then when I started running again I realised I might just be able to get back playing. But only in the last four or five weeks have I been able to make sure I can operate at the levels needed.
“It’s probably been mentally more difficult than physical, but it’s over and done with now and my focus is on getting back to playing well. “It was so good to get out there against Newcastle and I needed to get that out of the way so I could move forward.” In the absence of Catrakilis, teenage star Marcus Smith, below, has manfully stepped into the jersey. However, with the youngster unsurprisingly showing signs of wear and tear, the return of the former Stormers and Montpellier man is particularly well timed. With Quins looking to salvage a crumbling campaign, Catrakilis said: “Marcus has done unbelievably well. I keep trying to remind myself that he’s only just turned 19, but like all great players they get their chance and take it. “Hopefully we can feed off each other for the next few years and, with Tim Swiel and James Lang here as well, Harlequins have got a good stock of No.10s.”