Support Andrew Regan's spinal injury recovery

Andrew Regan – better known as Drewy or Reegs – is a devoted father and husband who suffered a severe spinal injury while playing rugby union for his local club, Orange Emus, on April 23 2022.

 

He suffered a broken neck and, immediately after sustaining the injury, was unable to feel anything from the chest down. At this stage, the injury has left Andrew an incomplete quadriplegic.

 

Immediately after the accident, Andrew received significant medical assistance on the rugby field and, following investigations at Orange Base Hospital, was priority airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital. Upon arrival, he went straight into surgery for a procedure which lasted eight hours.

 

His surgeons determined he had sustained significant damage to his C4 and C5 vertebrae. Crucially, his spinal cord was not severed, however it was severely damaged. After several days of intubation post-surgery, Andrew has begun his road to recovery. At this point, he is paralysed from the chest down. While Andrew currently has very limited arm movement, it remains too early for doctors to confidently predict a long-term outcome.

 

Anyone who knows Andrew is aware of his can-do attitude. He is a talented athlete who has completed several ultra-marathons, including one in excess of 100 kilometres. As an illustration of his resilience and unwavering sense of humour, shortly after his surgery and while still intubated, Andrew was communicating through the painstaking medium of an alphabet board – and was still making jokes!

 

While Andrew, his wife Jessie and their 12-month-old son Gus remain hopeful of a best-case scenario, his road to recovery will be long, difficult and expensive. He will require significant support and care long-term.

 

Any funds raised from this campaign will go directly to Andrew and Jessie to help meet their needs and living expenses moving forward, and the needs of their son Gus.

 

A special thank you to all who have already provided support and assistance, the family has been flooded with kindness, and they are incredibly grateful. We understand many people may not be able to afford to provide financial assistance, but every little bit helps.

 

With love,

The Regan and Davies families