Paralysed rugby player returns to the field where horror incident changed his life forever and defies the odds by completing a heroic act

Andrew Regan feared he may never be able to walk again.

But this week, exactly three years after a horror injury on the footy pitch changed his life forever, the 38-year-old has returned to the site of the accident and has defied the odds.

Back in 2022, the young father had just moved into a new home with his wife and toddler, in Orange, a town situated 250km west of Sydney.

The day after the move, Regan, who had lived in the area for around 12 months, turned out for the Orange Emus seconds in their Round One match against the Bathurst Bulldogs.

It was here that Regan had damaged his C4 and C5 vertebrae in a tackle.

The injury left him an incomplete quadriplegic – someone who retains some feeling or movement below the level of where they sustained the injury.

Andrew Regan feared he may never be able to walk again after sustaining a horror injury back in 2022

Regan was diagnosed as an incomplete quadriplegic after he damaged his C4 and C5 vertebrae in a tackle

Regan (left) had been playing for the Orange Emus and had run the ball up into contact where the freak injury occurred

Orange Emus second grade coach Al Hattersley said that the freak injury had occurred while Regan had simply been running the footy up into contact.

He was subsequently airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital and underwent an eight-hour surgical procedure on his spine.

‘The first priority was just breathing again and being able to survive,’ Regan told ABC News, while speaking on the injury.

Having replayed the moment he suffered the injury many times over, he questioned the decision to run into the contact in the way he did.

But the second-row, who was said to have competed in ultra marathons in the past, has come a long way since that day in 2022, and this week, walked across the footy pitch where the accident took place.

His story is a truly inspiring one, with Regan stating he felt like he was ‘just a head in a bed’ in hospital after the injury but made slow progress, beginning to recover movement in parts of his body.

‘I could move my thumb, and that was a huge cause for celebration.

‘I thought: “I’m starting to get movement from parts of the body that aren’t supposed to be moving. Where’s this going to end up”.’

On Wednesday, he returned to the sight of his life-changing injury and completed a walk across the Endeavour Oval 

It came after he had feared he’d never be able to walk again, but after undergoing physical therapy and treatment, the former rugby league star completed the epic achievement

He has raised $37,700 for the Emus Foundation, a charity that raises money to support injured rugby players in need across australia  

He then began to feel spasms in his legs and underwent multiple physical treatments, including hydrotherapy.

Two years after the accident, the former rugby player began to stand with assistance and then set his eyes on attempting to walk.

On Wednesday, Regan defied the odds by walking the length of the Endeavour Oval in Orange.

He was joined by supporters who cheered him on, but was forced to stop at points along the way, due to spasms.

‘I wanted to do something to essentially reclaim the day,’ Mr Regan said.

‘It really is the culmination of three years of recovery and hard work, and to have so many people surrounding me, it was a really nice moment.’

Those on the footy field then formed a corridor on the tryline which the 38-year-old walked through to complete his walk.

After his accident, the Emus Foundation was set up to raise money in support of injured rugby players in need across Australian communities.

Regan has since raised over $37,700 for the charity following his walk.

‘I’m very lucky, but other people aren’t as lucky as me. There’s just so many unknown costs,’ he added.

‘For example, I’m about to run out of funding in my NDIS budget for physio for the year — I’ve put everything into this walk today.’

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