‘Unparalleled’ – Emotions run high as student, 23, whose leg was crushed by rubble in Creeslough blast finishes marathon | 83H1FWI | 2024-04-28 00:08:01
'Unparalleled' – Emotions run high as student, 23, whose leg was crushed by rubble in Creeslough blast finishes marathon | 83H1FWI | 2024-04-28 00:08:01
A MAN whose leg was crushed by rubble after the Creeslough petrol station explosion has marked his remarkable recovery by running a marathon for charity.
Dylan McGee, 23, who is from the Donegal village, raised funds for the Children's Health Foundation by completing the 42.2km Connemarathon in Co Galway — after just 16 weeks of training.
Describing the emotion he felt crossing the finish line as "unparalleled", Dylan said it was a physical and mental battle to get through the race.
But this isn't the first hurdle he's had to overcome in his lifetime. In 2022, Dylan was one of the eight people hospitalised following the tragic explosion that claimed the lives of ten people on October 7, 2022.
Medical student Dylan, who now lives in Dublin, had nipped into the Applegreen service station's shop on his way home from college that Friday when the blast erupted.
He added: "Just as I was coming out, it happened.
"It was all very random, it was just one of those things. Nobody knew it was going to happen."
Trapped among the rubble, Dylan witnessed the unsung heroes of the village coming to the victims' aid.
He said: "They all rushed over. Nobody would have known if that was it or if there was going to be another explosion. It was the thought of getting everyone out that was on their minds."
Locals managed to free Dylan from under the rubble after about 15 minutes before continuing the rescue efforts through the night.
He was then was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment, where he says the care from medics was "terrific".
With no pulse present in his leg when he arrived at the hospital, doctors had to work quickly to eliminate the risk of amputation.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> Dylan had sustained substantial breaks in his leg and he was rushed to theatre where he had to undergo extensive surgery in a bid to stabilise his limb.
He said: "They had to put in plates and bolts."
But in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Dylan admits he was unaware of what was unfolding in Creeslough as the death toll rose.
He said: "I was just concerned about what was happening with my leg. I didn't have any idea what was going on outside of that."
Shock and sadness
And when he did hear the tragic news about the ten casualties, Dylan said he was filled with shock.
He added: "You are balancing being lucky to be alive versus the sadness surrounding what had happened."
Then faced with overcoming the grief that went hand-in-hand with the tragedy, Dylan set out on a long rehabilitation process.
'Couch bound'
He said: "For the first couple of weeks I couldn't move at all just because of the nature of the injury itself. I was couch bound. After that, it was just moving as little as possible for a couple of months. I had to use crutches and a boot."
But thankfully after a substantial amount of rest and physio, Dylan was back on his feet.
He said: "It just took a bit of time getting used to the feeling of walking again."
Dylan was greeted at the finish line of last Sunday's marathon by mum Donna and brother Ryan.
And after ticking off completing his first 26.2-mile run, he's already tempted to do another.
He said: "Once you prove you can do one, I suppose you can keep on going. They are great for the body and great for the head."
More >> https://ift.tt/LFoAU2W Source: MAG NEWS
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