By Róise Collins
It’s almost a year since a traumatic work place accident left Ballybofey man Marius McCloskey fighting for his life.
He was told it was unlikely he would ever walk again.
But miraculously, just 12 months later, he plans to conquer Errigal.
Marius is a tree surgeon by trade and for over 30 years he never had as much as a scratch.
That was until September, 10 2022, when he fell almost 20 feet from a tree.
He was rushed to resus in Letterkenny University Hospital where an MRI scan revealed internal bleeding, fluid on his brain, lung contusions, multiple lacerations, broken ribs, two breaks in his sternum, a broken neck and a broken back in five places.
The staff at LUH planned to airlift Marius to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, but soon realised he was too sick to move.
Marius was told he had an hour to live, and his wife Caroline was put in the dreaded position of being asked to start making arrangements for her husband.
Marius was conscious throughout. He said the hardest part was that he couldn’t say goodbye to his two children, Cahir and Caoimhe.
“I told my wife to tell them that I love them.”
He shared how in that moment he felt peace knowing she was there to care for them.
Marius miraculously made it through the hour and was then given a further 24 hours, which he bravely battled through too.
Once he stabilised the next hurdle was figuring out whether he would ever walk again. A consultant told him that his chances were a mere two per cent.
“I looked up at him and I said at least you’re giving me two per cent,” Marius said, to which the consultant replied, “I was being generous”.
As the days passed by Marius lay on his back looking up at the sky, planning his bucket list after his brush with death. He decided that if he ever walked again he would climb Errigal. The consultant stood shaking his head, baffled by his optimism.
This didn’t dissuade Marius, he continued to try to wiggle his toes. He asked the consultant if he was moving his feet or if he was imagining it.
To his relief the doctor said there was slight movement.
“Well that is enough to get me started,” Marius thought.
Once he left the hospital, Marius’ lengthy road to recovery included being in a body brace for close to 20 weeks. Luckily his wife is a nurse, so she was able to care for him at home during this time.
It took 12 weeks before he could tie his own shoe laces, something he thought he would never do again.
“It’s like that old story, you put on your shoes in the morning and you don’t know who is going to untie them at night. That’s exactly what happened to me.”
Marius was also keen to thank those who provided him with such amazing care following his accident. He’s now preparing to undertake a charity climb of Errigal Mountain
“I wanted to find a way to thank them all, because they could never be paid enough for what they do,” he said.
“From the consultant to the person cleaning the floor. The bottom line is I would have died if it wasn’t for them,” he said.
He said it was never his intention to raise money, he just wanted to offer a small gesture to show how grateful he was.
From the ambulance service, the fire service, and all the staff at LUH, including the consultants, the ICU, the high dependency unit, the orthopaedics department and the physios – he is planning to buy coffee and tea vouchers for each and every one of them.
All of the donations raised from next weekend’s climb will help him do just that.
The Errigal climb takes place on Sunday, September 10. For anyone who would like to join Marius meet at the base of the mountain at 9.30am, with the climb starting at 10am.
He will be joined by his family, and whoever comes after that is a bonus, he humbly added.
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