As an on-call firefighter and keen rugby player, Ash Mooney was used to a very active and busy lifestyle. However, in October 2021, a horrific rugby injury left him facing a very different future.
Ash, 31, who was with Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service at the time, was told he only had a one to three per cent chance of ever walking again after breaking his neck on the pitch.
He’s since defied the odds and not only learnt to walk, but is also hoping to one day return to firefighting – and he says your donations helped him at a key stage of his recovery.
Ash visited Jubilee House, our centre in Cumbria, shortly after taking his first steps unaided and spent an intense week building up his strength and fitness. Now he hopes to encourage others in the fire service to donate what they can, saying: “Without this facility, and the week I had with you guys, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Ash, who ran a construction company alongside his firefighting career, was playing for Redditch Rugby Club on October 2, 2021, when he was caught in a tackle during the match.
“I didn’t black out so I remember it all,” says Ash, “I landed on my back and I instantly knew something was wrong. The wind went out of me and I couldn’t move my hands, my arms, I couldn’t feel my legs…
“Someone asked me if I could get up and I just said, ‘I can’t move – at all’.”
Donate now to help more people like Ash
Ash was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and tests and X-rays quickly confirmed he’d broken his neck.
“I could move my arms just about at this point, but there was nothing from my chest down,” says Ash.
The area that had been impacted had swollen, causing problems with his breathing and, following emergency surgery, he was put into an induced coma for almost a week while he recovered enough to breathe unaided.
“They were able to wean me out of that around six days after that and then had to have a tracheotomy into my throat for another three weeks,” says Ash. “I was terrified at times to be honest, I thought that was it… no one talked about the paralysis to me, it was more to my wife because they didn’t want to exacerbate anything while I was recovering.
“My wife, Victoria, was told from the start that the probability of me walking again was around one to three per cent chance. I’m very, very, very lucky.”
Ash remained in hospital for around six weeks, before being transferred to a spinal injury unit in Shropshire where he spent another two months.
It was just before that transfer that Ash saw an incredible development in his recovery.
“I started to get movement back around four weeks after the injury,” says Ash. “My left toe started to twitch… my feet had been hyper-sensitive at the time and the nurse used to wind me up by touching them with a pen, but because I’d been on bed rest I couldn’t sit up… I was flat and couldn’t see my feet.
“I used to go mad at her! But this one time she did it and stepped back saying, ‘do that again’. I was like, ‘do what?’ She told me I’d moved my toe. I didn’t believe her, she was insisting, but I couldn’t believe her.
“I made her record it and I can’t describe how I felt seeing that. Within a few weeks I could roll my leg and the right leg followed from there.
“From that moment on, I was determined. It had been really daunting before that, thinking about the life I had lived and thinking I wouldn’t have that again… to have that hope again was huge.”
Ash ended up leaving the unit in January 2022, a little earlier than planned, as his dad sadly passed away.
He had been in touch with the Injured Players Foundation through his rugby, who had supported him throughout, and it was around that time that he remembered the support we had offered his colleagues in the past too.
“I knew the Charity was there for me, and I’ve done countless fundraisers – Car Washes and a 24-hour football match – but I’d never got to the point where I ever needed it,” says Ash.
“I got in touch with you from the moment I started being able to walk a few steps, and wanted to time a visit to you for when I was able to walk short distances – to help me build up my strength.
“I had come out of the wheelchair in January and I went up to Jubilee House shortly after.
“Until then I’d done a lot of rehab, but it was more focusing on functional stuff – getting my hands to move, being able to tackle stairs, making sure I could function on my own. Then when I went up to Penrith, it was a lot more physically intense, work in the gym with programmes specifically for me, time in the pool, walks, a huge variety. It was really good for me.
“I got more into my gym work from there, it was a kick for me to focus on eventually getting back to firefighting in the future. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m on that road to fitness now.”
Ash can now walk quickly, but can’t run yet. He’s back in his day job in construction, just not doing the manual work he did before, and hopes to continue building his fitness up to one day be a firefighter again.
“For me, getting back to working was really important for my mental health. I needed the distraction and sitting in the house all day wasn’t doing me any good,” he adds.
Ash now hopes to encourage anyone who is able to, to donate what they can to us, having seen the huge difference the support can make.
“I’d 100% advise anyone in the fire service, or in the public, to do what they can to support this Charity,” says Ash.
“It wasn’t just that one week for me, you’ve offered me follow-ups since and remained in touch.
“When you’re there, you realise how many people this Charity supports… partners, spouses, personnel across the service. I wasn’t as aware of that before.
“My wife actually came with me and just had a week of relaxation herself, because it’d obviously been really traumatic for her too. I’m so thankful for that support, for both of us.”
If you’re struggling with your health and wellbeing, we may be able to help you. Call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or register for MyFFC now and visit the ‘Access Support’ tab at the top of the MyFFC homepage.
You can also join our ‘Share Your Story’ Group in MyFFC, by clicking on the ‘Groups’ tab, to chat to others who have received our support or enquire about sharing your own story.