Former NRL coach Daniel Anderson has come up for the first time after being engaged in a horrific bodysurfing accident that nearly killed him.
The former New Zealand Warriors and Parramatta Eels coach was body surfing at Soldiers Beach near Norah Head with his family when calamity struck.
A wave dumped the 56-year-old on his head, resulting in a devastating spinal injury.
He rapidly went into cardiac arrest and had to be hauled out of the surf while semi-conscious.
The father of four was fortunate that a couple of off-duty paramedics happened to be on the beach that day, as they swiftly evacuated him to the spinal unit at Royal North Shore Hospital.
‘I’m very lucky the paramedics were there. I was obviously in a bad way. If they weren’t there, who knows how it would have finished up.’
Later it was revealed that Anderson had severe compression of the spinal cord.
‘I was classified as an incomplete quadriplegic,’ Anderson said. ‘Incomplete means that you can get little bits back, but some things you never can.
‘No one can tell you categorically what, if any movement you get back. But after four days I was wiggling my big toe.
‘Right now I need assistance with everything, brushing my teeth, feeding, bathing, having a coffee.
‘I’ve got slight movement in my right hand. Just enough to softly shake hands.
‘Three weeks ago I couldn’t do that. It’s progress.’
Anderson, who coached the Warriors and the Eels to NRL grand finals, says the first few weeks were really tough for him and his family.
‘You can’t equate this predicament to the pressures of coaching. But the mental strength you’ve got to have in tough times in football helps,’ he said.
‘This is much tougher. But you’ve got to grab hold of the situation. You’ve got to try to move forward and take one challenge at a time.’
Anderson is now training in the gym for two hours a day – trying to learn how to use his muscles again and do simple tasks.
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