Footy star Keano Kini, 20, was looking forward to becoming a dad for the first time – then he discovered he’s just MILLIMETRES from being paralysed for life

• Spinal injury nearly left Titans star paralysed 
• Keano Kini will undergo surgery this week

By JAMES COONEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Titans fullback Keano Kini has opened up about a chilling diagnosis that revealed that he was just millimetres away from a life-altering spinal injury.

The 20-year-old reigning Titans Player of the Year is set to undergo neck surgery this week to address a herniated disc that was dangerously close to his spinal cord.

Kini, who is expecting to be a dad in the coming months, has been told to be very careful and avoid traveling in a car due to the delicate nature of his injury.

Doctors have told him that another impact on his neck could have been disastrous.

‘I’m pretty lucky, it could have been a lot worse,’ he told News Corp.

‘The doc said if I copped another bad hit I could have been paralysed, so I feel blessed to have found this out now before something really serious happened.

Gold Coast fullback Keano Kini (pictured with partner Faith) was just millimetres away from sufferintg a catastrophic spinal injury

The talented youngster is set to undergo neck surgery this week to address a herniated disc

‘When he said that to me, I was pretty scared.’

Kini sustained the injury while playing against Newcastle last weekend, showing concerning post-game symptoms.

Scans later showed that the youngster’s spinal cord had been compressed and that he was just 4mm away from catastrophic damage.

‘I have a herniation of my disc in between my vertebrae, it was pushing into my spinal cord, so they are going to take that out and fuse the bones together,’ Kini said.

‘I am looking at a minimum three-month recovery.

‘I can start training in between that, but it will be three to four months before I get back on the field and maybe four to six weeks after that until I can be back in contention to be selected again.

‘I think it happened playing for the Kiwis against Tonga last year. In the warm up, I got some whiplash after getting a hit and the right side of my body went numb.

‘In the first half of that game, I played the ball and I couldn’t feel my arm. Then in the Knights game I got a push in the back and the same feeling happened again.

Kini says he’s focusing on his health first and not rushing to be back on the park as he looks forward to the birth of his first child

‘I thought I would get an MRI scan and then it showed the damage in my disc.’

Kini’s absence will leave a significant void in his team’s spine, but the young talent is concentrating on his well-being first. 

‘They originally said I’ll be back around the Origin period but I really doubt that. Anything can happen with your neck, so I’m not going to rush anything.

‘I’m focused on my health first rather than coming back to footy this year. Obviously, I’d love to be back this year, but if not, I will take my time to get back to my full potential.

‘It’s disappointing because I was building well the last two games and really looking forward to a huge season with the boys.

‘That’s life. Sometimes these injuries happen. Everything happens for a reason so I’m going to reset, train as hard as I can and come back even better.’

:
Footy star Keano Kini, 20, was looking forward to becoming a dad for the first time – then he discovered he’s just MILLIMETRES from being paralysed for life

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk