Heartfelt plea to all clubs

Dear All

I am writing to you as a life-long rugby supporter and father of a catastrophically injured rugby player. Firstly, to thank you for the support you have given our family before, and secondly to ask for your help one more time.

We are so lucky that the game is filled with people who go over and above to support you when you don’t know where to turn.
Looking after each other is what the rugby family does best, and we have experienced this more than most since Liam broke his neck playing for St Mary’s Old Boys 10 years ago.

Heaven forbids someone you know should ever get seriously injured on a rugby pitch. Thankfully it’s highly unlikely. Liam was simply unlucky. It was a freak accident, nothing malicious, no one was to blame. But it was a day that turned our family’s life upside down.

It affected everybody. I’ve never seen so many big grown men cry as that day, and we couldn’t accept what had happened at first.
When we found out Liam would be paralysed and require a wheelchair for life, his mum and I feared his life was over. We couldn’t have been more wrong.

As tough as the years have been, the most horrific of times have also become the most inspiring, mainly because of the support we have received from the Injured Players Foundation (IPF), England Rugby’s charity.

Liam is a born fighter and a hero to us all, but he also credits so much of his recovery to the support provided by the IPF who have given him the tools to get where he is today.
I’m not sure what other sport looks after its own like rugby does, or what other charity would provide so much to ensure Liam continues to lead the life he wants to lead.

The IPF have been with us from day one, appearing by Liam’s hospital bedside within hours of the injury, and metaphorically, they haven’t left his side since.
They ensured Liam had access to the best medical care; they funded adaptations to our house so he could come home to us and supported his move to where he now lives fully independently with his beautiful family.

The additional rehab the IPF funded saw Liam go from 5-6 hours a week to 5-6 hours a day. It enabled him to regain use of his arms and to build the ability and confidence to be a hands-on dad to our gorgeous grandson Reuben.

It’s for this reason that Liam has just climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in his adapted wheelchair to raise money and awareness for the IPF. His motivation is for others in his position to benefit as much he has from the support, love and care the IPF has given him, a bit like a family themselves. You can read more about his incredible journey here

When Liam first had his accident, my wife and I were blown away by support received the wider rugby community. Over 1,000 rugby clubs in England donated to raise money for Liam.
My ask today is for clubs in England to donate towards Liam’s fundraising challenge. Not for Liam, but for any son or daughter, brother or sister, mum or dad who might one day find themselves in his position.
Because the care the IPF provides can change a family’s life for the better and they never forget about you. If you need them, they will be there for life. And that, for us, has been a godsend.

If clubs across the country could donate, it would raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to help players who have sustained life-changing injuries.

I have included Liam’s Givestar fundraising page here and also this video explaining more about him.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for considering my request.

Best wishes,
Alen O’Keeffe