A former rugby star has broken down in tears after opening up about his struggles with dementia following 30 on-field concussions.
Michael Lipman, 42, played over 200-matches in his storied career as well as 10 international cap for England, but he was forced to retired in 2012 due to short-term memory loss and severe headaches.
The flanker recalls the games as ‘wild and blatantly violent’ but he never realised the repeated head knocks were taking a severe toll.
‘I loved it. I wanted more, and more, and more,’ he told The Sunday Project.
‘Stitch me up and get me back out there… that’s all I was thinking. Get me back out there.’
During the candid interview the footy player who was born in London but grew up in Sydney, was shocked to see his hand bleeding and could not remember how it happened.
Shortly after he started weeping explaining it’s a constant battle to remember ‘why you are who you are’.
Former rugby international Michael Lipman (right) is pictured with his wife Frankie. He now suffers from dementia
‘Every time I got knocked out on the field, all I heard from the doctors and the physios right there as I was lying unconscious, they asked me three questions (when I come to).
‘”What day is it? Who are we playing? What’s the score?” I remember those questions so vividly, ’cause it happened so often to me.’
At 21, he moved from Sydney to the UK to start his 11-year professional career playing for Bristol and Bath from 2001 to 2009.
His England debut was against the the New Zealand All Blacks. But what should be a treasured memory is a blank slate.
He was hit so hard, he remembers ‘absolutely nothing’ of the game.
When Lipman moved back to Australia to play for the Melbourne Rebels, his concussions became more frequent and the symptoms became more severe.
The former rugby player (pictured centre in a match for Bath in 2009) suffered more than 30 concussions during his playing career
‘I realised something was going on, but I didn’t show it and didn’t say anything,’ he said. And no one asked if he was OK,’ he said.
The after-effects of his final concussion lasted nine months and Lipman was forced to hand up his boots after more than 200 professional games.
‘I’ve just had too many bumps to the head and, you know, I’ve had possibly over 30 concussions in my career,’ he said at the time.
After a whirlwind romance with his partner Frankie – the two were engaged, married and had baby in quick succession – but strange incidents started to happen.
One day, Lipman disappeared from a lunch, then got home several hours later, looking for breakfast at 6pm.
He doesn’t remember the incident, but Frankie’s mother does. She was frightened.
Dr Rowena Mobbs (pictured), a neurologist who has treated Lipman, said she was ‘quite shocked how poorly he scored in several areas of thinking’.
Lipman was also struggling at his job in real estate, trying to remember the names of buyers and sellers.
He turned to drinking to numb the feelings of confusion.
‘Using alcohol masked any sort of feeling that I had. I was basically numb for a very long time,’ he said.
Then a British lawyer contacted him about a class action against World Rugby, and the fog finally began to clear.
The lawyer said he believed Lipman was suffering from CTE.
CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a type of dementia that can affect memory, decision-making, as can cause impulsive behaviour and poor judgement.
Lipman was no longer able to work and they had to sell their home and move out of Sydney. Frankie, who also had a child from a previous relationship, returned to work.
Michael Lipman (pictured) has written a book called Concussion with his wife Frankie
At one point in the Channel 10 interview, the former footballer started looking at his hands and in a state of confusion.
His wife asked: ‘Are you OK? You’re bleeding.’
‘I don’t know what’s happened. What happened?’ he asked. ‘What am I bleeding from?’
Frankie explained that it has happened to him several times.
‘Because with what he’s going through, his balance is affected, so Michael’s always having a few stumbles or trips … it’s not uncommon for us to find blood on the sheets.’
Lipman (pictured) has acknowledged that his future health is ‘like a ticking time bomb’
Dr Rowena Mobbs, a neurologist who has treated Lipman, said she was ‘quite shocked how poorly he scored in several areas of thinking’.
‘From what I can see, his pattern of decline continues. And it’s extraordinarily sad for him and his family.
‘We just don’t know what exactly the future might hold. All types of dementia, unfortunately, do worsen over time,’ she said.
Lipman said he was startled the first time he heard the word dementia being used about him.
‘I didn’t believe it. I was in denial, you know, for some time. I was like … No, it’s not happening.’
But now knowing what people with dementia go through, it explained many things that had been happening to him, such as the forgetfulness and sometimes soiling the bed.
Lipman was capped 10 times at international level for England between 2004 and 2008
‘A lot of the time, I put on such a brave face and – but deep down, there’s this little thing in my – you know, in my belly just saying, you know, “You’re a complete and utter burden to your family and society, and you’re an absolute waste of space.”‘
At this point, Lipman broke down in tears and had to stop the interview to compose himself.
He then bravely said, ‘This needs to be spoken about. ‘Cause then someone else could be going through the exact same thing. These are the realities.’
Lipman said it is his mission to actually help others, to ‘pioneer positive change in repetitive head trauma in all facets of contact sports in Australia. And worldwide … that is my purpose now.’
Michael Lipman (pictured) was forced to retire after playing more than 200 professional games
Frankie said she does not want to see rugby banned. ‘We want to see the sport thrive in future.
‘But we want to see appropriate changes to make it safer. Theoretically, this is a preventable disease,’ she said.
‘Is enough being done? Definitely not. Does more need to be done? Absolutely.’
Lipman is living day by day, but acknowledges his future health is ‘like a ticking time bomb. Eventually, it’s going to explode. And we don’t know when.’
Michael and Frankie Lipman’s book have written a book called Concussion.
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