Grand Slam Man by Dan Lydiate

Chapter One
    A LUCKY MAN
    When I look back on my Grand Slam year, I consider myself a very lucky man. To have won the Slam with Wales and be named Six Nations Player of the Tournament is the kind of stuff dreams are made of.
    But then, I have more reason than most to feel lucky.
    Back in November 2007, I suffered an injury that could have ended my rugby career.
    I was only nineteen at the time and had just started playing for the Newport Gwent Dragons. So when I was selected to play against Perpignan in a big Heineken Cup match out in France I was very excited.
    But within minutes of the kickoff, my world was turned upside down. I can still remember exactly how it happened. I'd come across the field to tackle one of their players and after tackling him ended up sitting on the ground. Then everyone piled over me and my head snapped forward. I heard a big crunch in my neck and thought, ‘That's not good.' I wasn't knocked unconscious, so I tried to get up. But I couldn't, and I was losing the feeling in my legs and arms. So I tried to keep them moving because I thought that if I stopped I wouldn't be able to get them going again. I was thinking: ‘Will I be able to walk again? Will I be able to lead a normal life?' It was pretty scary, and rugby went to the back of my mind.
    Dee Clark, the Dragons' team doctor, came running on to the pitch and looked after me, and I realise now that if it had to happen, this was the best place it could have happened. All the medical facilities were on hand and from the start the treatment I had was second to none. It turned out I had suffered a crushed disc, broken vertebrae and ripped a load of ligaments. I had broken my neck. I now appreciate just how lucky I was to receive such excellent care from the Dragons' medical staff and everyone else who looked after me.
    After a few days' treatment in France, I was flown back to Wales in an air ambulance. I was wearing a special cast that locked my jaw together to stop me moving my neck. Once back in Wales, I was transferred to Morriston Hospital in Swansea to undergo surgery. It was made clear to me that if I didn't have an operation I would definitely never be able to play rugby again and I could be paralysed by the smallest of falls. During a five-hour operation, they removed the crushed disc in my neck and replaced it with a bone graft from my hip, inserting a plate in my neck. They basically screwed me back together.
    Happily, the surgery was a success. The surgeon, John Martin, did a great job. Once I'd had the operation, they said there was no reason why I couldn't play again. So I began to think about the next step on the recovery trail and I started building from there.
    I'd only played a handful of games for the Dragons and I'd really enjoyed them. I'd had a taste of the game and wanted more. That's what spurred me to get back into it. I went for regular checkups at the hospital and X-rays every six weeks. It was a case of seeing how things went. But by the new year, I was exercising my legs and on the road to recovery.
    The toughest thing was seeing the Dragons playing on television. That really got to me. Also in January, I went down to Rodney Parade to watch the return match against Perpignan, and that was quite emotional.
    So it was tough at times, but I had a lot of support from my family, the doctors and the people at the Dragons. My family were obviously a bit worried about me playing again, but supported whatever I decided. In fact my mum still worries now when anyone goes down and is nervous when I play, as is my girlfriend Nia, but she still comes to watch the games with my dad.
    It was a long road back for me, and a lot of work along the way, but by September 2008 I was back on the field. I was nervous at the start, but as soon as I got the first tackle out of the way I was OK.
    People have said to me that I was unlucky to get injured when I'd just started my career. But I really count my blessings. The injury could have