ROAD TO RECOVERY
Valleys star shares horror moment he thought he would lose his foot
LEAGUE: Valleys star Jordan Drew knew he was “in trouble” the moment he was tackled on Sunday.
The personal trainer knew for certain he had broken his ankle and thought it could in fact be a compound fracture, but he didn’t panic.
When paramedics arrived to stabilise him his mood changed though.
“I was drifting in and out of consciousness after they gave me painkillers and at one point I thought heard them say it was 50-50 if I’d lose my foot,” Drew said.
“That’s when I started to panic a bit.”
LEAGUE: Shock immediately took hold of Jordan Drew’s body when his ankle was broken and dislocated in a tackle on Saturday.
The Valleys Roosters player knew he was in trouble and was convinced it was a compound fracture but he was relatively calm.
“I knew it was bad the minute I was tackled,” Drew said.
“It felt like my foot had detached and I was pretty sure it was a compound fracture but I couldn’t tell because at that point my sock was still on.
“I don’t remember being in a lot of pain at least for the first 20 minutes or so – probably because shock had set in pretty much straight away – so I didn’t really panic too much.”
Drew’s mood changed dramatically in the moments after Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics began to assess and stabilise him for transport to hospital.
“I was drifting in and out of consciousness after they (QAS) gave me painkillers and at one point I thought heard them say it was 50-50 if I’d lose my foot,” Drew said.
“That’s when I started to panic a bit – I was really worried about my future if I lost my foot.”
Fortunately Drew’s future is looking a lot more positive.
“My foot is back in place and now I’m just waiting for the swelling to go down before I have surgery,” Drew said.
“There’s a fracture on both sides of the ankle and I’ll need surgery to have a plate and pins inserted. I’ll be in a special boot for at least six weeks – I’m not sure what the recovery process is after that.”
Drew, who works as a personal trainer, does have some concerns about his work life in the immediate but if needs support he need only look as far as his Roosters family.
As he was being transported to hospital donations were already being made to support his recovery with teammates donating their match payments and fans chipping in.
“While I was recovering in hospital I checked my phone and saw that some money had gone into my account and I had no idea what it was – when I found out where it came from I was stunned,” he said.
“It’s absolutely amazing, I’ve played for few clubs in my time and never seen anything like it.
“I can’t thank the club, my teammates and the supporters enough for their support.”
Valleys president Gary de Joux said it was the least they club could do for one of its own.
“We’ve been successful on and off the field for 100 years,” he said.
“And that comes down to club culture and history.
“I’m really proud of how our club, the players and supporters have responded to this.
“Drew is a former Valleys junior who came back to the club this year and immediately had a positive impact.
“He’s a great person on and off the field and we will continue to support him however we can.”
The club is planning a number of fundraisers to support Drew and interested supporters are urged to keep an eye on their website and Facebook page.