Jackson reveals aftermath of pool accident
A WELSH regional rugby player has bravely revealed the full horror of the swimming pool accident that left him with barely any feeling in his body.
Newport Gwent Dragons back rower Ed Jackson has set up a Facebook community to talk about his road to recovery after the accident at a friend’s house on April 8.
Jackson has told how his father, a retired doctor, and his friend had to pull him from the pool after he hit his head on the bottom and lost movement in his legs.
He also described waking up in intensive care after surgery with no feeling below the neck other than limited movement in his right arm.
A picture of Jackson lying in his hospital bed just three days after the accident accompanies the social media post.
Jackson, who had been one of the Dragons’ best players this season, wrote: “On the 8th April at a family friends BBQ I dived into the shallow end of a swimming pool. After hitting my head on the bottom I realised I couldn’t swim to the surface because I’d lost movement in my legs and power in my arms.
“My dad (a retired GP) and friend Daffyd immediately knew something was wrong, pulled me to the surface and stabilised me in the pool until the ambulance came.
“I was transferred to Southmead Hospital with a fracture dislocation at the C6/7 joint. After a number of MRI scans and X-Rays the Drs decided to operate at 2am to stabilise my neck as pressure was being put on my spinal cord. In surgery they removed my shattered disc, relocated my vertebrae and fixed it in place with a metal plate.
“I woke up in ICU, luckily completely coherent, however no feeling below my neck other than limited movement in my right arm.
“You never think this s**t is ever going to happen to you, but it did, now I’ve got to deal with it. This is my road to recovery...”
Jackson has received many messages of support from the rugby and wider community since the accident, with many praising his bravery in sharing his experience.
The Millfield-educated Jackson has made 36 appearances for the Dragons and signed a two-year contract extension last December.
But he hadn’t played since their European Challenge Cup exit at French club Brive in January because of a shoulder injury.
The Dragons revealed he had suffered the accident on April 21.