Benefit fund established to help Kildysart man

LAST May, the then 20-year-old Cian Cleary from Kildysart hadn’t a care in the world. After four years studying business at UL, he was about to leave student life behind and embark on his chosen career path.

Cian was due to visit New York after his exams and perhaps his biggest concern on his return home was helping Kildysart to win the Clare intermediate football championship.
Prior to his accident, Cian was an avid sports person. He played Gaelic football from underage to adult level for Kildysart, winning a Junior A medal in 2008.
However, in an unfortunate instant, Cian’s plans, ambitions and life path were changed utterly. On May 19 last, he was seriously injured in a freak accident on the UL campus. Days after finishing his exams, instead of seeking employment or enjoying his first summer free of studying, he was engaged in the biggest battle he ever faced; staying alive. Having sustained serious head, neck and spinal injuries, Cian was initially treated in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick before he was transferred to the Mater Hospital in Dublin.
He spent more than six months there trying to re-establish a quality of life with the help of several medical teams. During this time Cian underwent surgery to repair his neck injuries. Last December, he was transferred to the National Rebabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire.
While he has made a good recovery from his head and neck injuries, he continues to have serious spinal injuries. The most recent medical prognosis is that Cian will be wheelchair dependent. He is paralysed from the chest down. As a result, he will need his home in Kildysart adapted to suit his basic needs, as well as requiring constant medical care for the foreseeable future.
Since sustaining his injuries, it has been an extremely difficult journey for Cian and his family, who have endured months of pain, suffering, fear and worry.
Despite everything, his health took a turn for the better last August as he marked his 21st birthday. His fighting spirit helped him to make steady progress as the months passed.
To date he has spent two months in Dún Laoghaire, where he works relentlessly in an effort to rebuild his life to a level most people take for granted.
While it is heart wrenching for those who know and love Cian to see his life turned upside down in a terrible moment, what is remarkable is the strength and courage he has shown.
Daily he strives to brighten the day with his determination and is committed to doing the best he can and make the most of a very trying situation.
The next journey Cian will embark upon will be his return home to Kildysart. This will bring huge adjustments and adaptations to life as he once knew it.
To help offset some of the challenges involved, The Cian Cleary Benefit Fund has been established. Several fundraising events are planned for the coming months. More details will be available in the coming weeks.