Lifechanging injury for ‘true gentleman’
Richard Murray was sitting on a wall chatting to his friends when he suddenly slipped backwards and fell. The resulting injury has left him paralysed from the waist down.
Four weeks prior to his accident, the Blackrock native had put down a deposit on his first home with his girlfriend Gráinne, one of many planned milestones they had worked hard together to achieve.
Spending his 35th birthday in hospital, Richard must now adapt to a whole new way of living which, unfortunately, involves significant costs including extensive modifications to his new home.
For this reason, a group of Richard’s close friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help him to live as independent and as free a life as possible.
Heading the campaign is long-term friend John Daly who says Richard has kept a positive attitude throughout his ordeal.
“Rich has been one of my best friends for the past 20 years. He is a true gentleman, a great boyfriend, a caring brother, a loving son and uncle, and a genuinely kind soul.
“He has always been there for me through the good and the bad. This accident has hit so many so hard but the person most impacted is Rich.
“I want to spread the word of this GoFundMe to help with the financial burden of his situation so he can concentrate on getting better and living his life again. Any help is welcome,” said John.
So far, the GoFundMe page has raised close to €60,000 of its initial €80,000 target, all of which will go towards helping Richard adapt to his injury.
As a Formula 1 fanatic, Richard’s favourite pastime is driving and the money raised will partly go to modifying a car in order to preserve this aspect of his independence.
The money will also go towards a standing frame and exercise equipment for rehab, as well as other general medical expenses.
Upon learning of Richard’s injury, the Cork Independent reached out to Irish F1 veteran Derek Daly who responded with the following:
“In the year 2000, an IndyCar driver and friend of mine, Sam Schmidt, was paralyzed from the neck down in a race crash. Later that year he attended the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis and I arranged for him to meet my former team boss, Frank Williams. Frank at that time was 14 years into his paralysis after a road crash on the way to the airport after testing in Paul Ricard, France.
“Frank went through the good and bad days but I wanted him to look Sam in the eye and tell him that the richness of life was still available as long as he can clear his head and mentally apply himself to achieving new goals.
“As I’ve said to many people; you’re never beaten when knocked down, you’re only beaten when you stay down.”