Tom Doherty was never held back by misfortune

AS the lunchtime school bell rang out its welcome drone at a Killarney secondary school on a bright sunny Spring afternoon in 1982, a small group of teenagers rushed to the bicycle rack to collect their trusted steeds for an hour of fun and adventure.

Wheelies were the preferred action for these 14-year-olds, glad of a respite from the mundane life of the classroom. For one of the teenagers, Tom Doherty, from Lissivigeen, this day would dramatically change his life forever as he cheated death in a horrific accident. Tom loved sport and the challenges posed from outdoor activity.

“The first medal I won was for second place in a 60 metre sprint,” he recalls.

“As a youngster, it was my pride and joy as I had previously contested at various athletic events to no avail. With each race there was improvement. I was able to challenge myself if not my competitors.

“Back then, it took me quite a number of times to achieve success on the running fields of Kerry, but I believed that tomorrow always gave you new opportunities and a new chance to succeed. I loved football and played alongside my friends on the Spa team. These were great days but all this changed dramatically following my accident and my world came to a halt.”

Tom’s accident came midway through one of his regular wheelie manoeuvres.

“As I sped down the grass margin close to a dyke I was just about to start the wheelie manoeuvres when the nut mechanism securing my handlebars suddenly became loose. I lost control and fell into the dyke, which was about six feet deep,” he says.

“As l lay in the dyke l felt a strange sensation and could not feel my legs. My friends were shouting and I noticed one of my legs was bent at a very acute angle. I thought the leg was broken. Everything else was a blur until I arrived at Kerry General Hospital where the severity of my injuries was diagnosed.

“The one and only time that I was in a helicopter was to transport me to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire later that day.”

Tom was diagnosed with a spinal neck injury to the C6 and C7 vertebrae. He was immediately placed on a ventilator to assist his breathing and placed on a rotary bed. Medical staff attended to all his personal needs and he was fed using a drip for the first number of days.

“I was turned every three hours. I was also very aware that this movement was very slow, with a medical team assigned to this task to prevent further injury. I was fully aware what had happened to me and I worried I would never walk again. While I was feeling very sorry for myself, I also realised that others in the ward were far worse off.”

A daily routine involved staff testing the reflexes in his legs. After two weeks, Tom felt a little movement in one of his toes.

“This was a very positive sign and greeted with great enthusiasm by the staff. This occurred an hour before I was due to phone home and tell my mother that I would probably be paralysed for life.”

Extensive physiotherapy and exercises in the hydrotherapy pool followed over the next five months.

“The most difficult treatment was learning to walk again. This happened after 12 weeks. I spent hours on end on parallel bars learning to walk small distances at first and gradually increasing the distance.

“Exercises were so frustrating as the motor skills needed were child’s play in a previous life. With help from a sturdy pair of crutches, I eventually walked out the front door of the hospital. I was back in school within a few days, but returned to Dun Laoghaire during my school holidays for more gruelling physio,” he says.

Readjusting to the outside world, a world outside the protection of the hospital environment, was a new challenge and a strange challenge for the Killarney teenager.

“Am I different? Sport defined me, I believed! Will people see me as the same person? What will I do with my time now? As I cheered on my friends on the football field, kicking every score in my mind, a new definition of the word participation dawned on me.

“I vowed that I would return to sport, perhaps as a coach or official, but in the meantime, I had a Leaving Certificate to worry about and also the day I could walk without the aid of the crutches.”

Following his Leaving Certificate, Tom took up a post working in the civil service in Dublin. This was to have a life changing effect on him.

“I discovered through conversation with a work colleague about wheelchair sport activates in Clontarf.

“I looked forward to this new battle and enthusiastically joined up. I travelled across the city weekly to a new bunch of friends and brand new competitors.

“Winning made me smile, but participation made me joyous. During this time, I won All-Ireland medals in the discus, javelin and shot putt in 1987. I had a new found love of sport and of life without crutches.”

When Tom returned to Kerry in 1991, armed with his city experience, he took on his first serious role as Youth Officer for Kerry Community Games.

“This opened my eyes to the background workings and skill set needed to successfully organise and run sporting and cultural events. During these years,

I worked in Sneem and helped set up Community Games in the parish.

“I also coached the Sneem Under 14 football team. After this apprenticeship, more challenges stood before me. What about participation for all? With this in mind, I joined the Irish Wheelchair Association’s National Sports Executive Committee which covered so many sports from bocha to sailing. This inspired me to act as an advocate for the disability sector, something I continue to foster.”

Growing up in a political household, the views of all political parties were discussed, respected but also challenged. Tom’s personal beliefs were now rising to the fore.

“Do we all get the opportunity to participate, to challenge ourselves, to challenge others, not only in sport but in daily living? My definition of participation was broadening. I began to see the bigger picture like a satellite gazing down on a sports field expanding out to expose the greater environment,” he explains.

“I decided to give it a go and in June of 1994, I successfully ran for a seat in Killarney Town Council under the Fianna Fail banner. I served three terms on the Council, 1994 to 1999, 2004 to 2009 and 2009 to 2014.

“I’ve had my ups and downs in politics, but it was with great pride in 2006 that I had the honour to wear the Mayor’s chain and serve as first citizen of Killarney. I continued to advocate for disability rights. Everybody has a ‘chink in one’s armour’.

“Three choices, ability, disabilty or opportunity.”

As Tom moves into his late forties he is faced with new challenges. Severe lower back pain has resulted in the use of a walking cane. A round of golf at Killarney Golf Club necessitates the use of a golf buggy to get around the scenic course. On the positive side, he is contributing in a major way in his work with the HSE to services at the Coolgraine Training Centre in Killarney where he is currently employed.

In 2017 Tom said: “For me, life is good and I look forward to the challenges it will present to me over the coming years.”

That December he had the distinction of representing Ireland in the International Wheelchair and Amputee World Games in Portugal competing in discus, javelin and shot putt.

“This was an amazing honour for me and further evidence of the importance of sport. In 2018 I joined the newly formed Kingdom Wheel Blasters wheelchair basketball team and I was also elected onto the National Sport executive committee of Irish Wheelchair Association.

“The Kingdom Wheel Blasters are an Irish Wheelchair Association affiliated sports club established in September 2014, starting initially with just four children.”

The Killarney native continues to advocate the benefits of sport and inclusion, and in 2019 he was elected to the prestigious post of chairperson of the IWA National Sport executive.

“I am particularly proud of the Kingdom Wheelchair senior basketball team. In 2019 we defeated North East Wolves from Derry in the Gerald Larkin Cup final. This was a major success for the club and has ignited the enthusiasm for the sport.

“We also won the wheelchair section of the International Basketball Eastercup in Berlin with the High Rollers team. However, Covid-19 has restricted our competition and training. Last weekend we were due to play the end of season Wheelchair Basketball Cup final at the Tralee IT Sport Campus.

“I am looking forward to a return to sport, something that binds us all together.”