Player appeal raises almost £60,000 for leg
IFAN Phillips has shared news of the leg amputation that ended his rugby career in an inspiring message.
The Osprey and Wales U20s international, 25, was seriously injured in a road traffic collision in Swansea on December 5, which involved two motorbikes.
Before returning home to continue his recovery, he had been receiving treatment at Morriston Hospital and nearly £60,000 has been raised on a crowdfunding page – with the current target set at £100,000.
And in a post shared by the Ospreys, Phillips has revealed the extent of his life-changing injury as he offered his gratitude to the 1,600-odd people who donated and the many more who have reached out to him after his accident.
“Shwmae. Now that I’m home from hospital and spirits are high I’d like to say a few words.
“Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone for your support over the last few days.
“It honestly means so much to me and my family. The generosity of the public and the rugby community has been truly overwhelming and I cannot thank you guys enough for your kind donations, messages and much more.
“My heartfelt thanks go to all who assisted at the scene of the accident, to the emergency services and to all staff at Morriston Hospital. You have all been brilliant.
“On the 5th of December I was rushed in to Morriston Hospital following a motorbike accident.
“I went into theatre on arrival but following ongoing surgery it was not possible to save my leg. As a result I had to have an above the knee amputation. Your kind donations will all be going towards my rehabilitation and hopefully getting a prosthetic leg which will enable me to experience new opportunities.”
The owner of the crowdfunding page posted that they have been advised that a target of £100,000 would be suitable for a Genium X3 prosthesis – which the page describes as the “world’s most technologically advanced prosthetic leg”.
Phillips added: “Those who know me well will know how active I am as an individual and I WILL continue to be so.
“All your donations are greatly appreciated so thank you from the bottom of my heart. As I continue to get stronger I hopefully will be able to catch up with everyone at sometime but for the next few weeks I would appreciate some quiet time with family and close friends. Diolch, Ifan.”
A Wales Under-20 international, Phillips made 40 appearances for the Ospreys after making his debut in 2017.