RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has hosted the launch of a new book by Ciarán McCarthy.

The launch of Closer to Walking Again celebrated the publication of the book which brings readers on the author’s journey following a rugby accident which left him paraplegic, and his involvement in RCSI research to shape the future of spinal cord injury advancements.

Ciarán McCarthy sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury in 2002 after a rugby tackle went wrong and his opponent fell on top of him. In the years since, he and others with life-altering spinal-cord injuries have worked alongside RCSI researchers bringing invaluable personal insights to studies investigating new treatments for spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury is a devastating and often paralysing condition with one new case occurring every week in Ireland. Over 2,300 individuals and families are living with spinal cord injury across Ireland. In 2019, RCSI, supported by funding from the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) Charitable Trust and the Research Ireland AMBER Centre intensified its research into spinal cord injury. This work included patient and public involvement (PPI) activity from the outset, enabling injured players, including Ciaran McCarthy, to directly inform the ongoing research and bring unique experiential knowledge of their condition into the project.

One of the project’s remarkable achievements is the development of a new implant designed to convey electrical signals and potentially encourage nerve cell repair after spinal cord injury. Closer to Walking Again provides insight into the collaborative efforts that drove these advancements. It delves into the integration of cutting-edge technologies including advanced materials, stem cell biology, neuroscience and gene therapy while candidly exploring the challenges and process of developing new solutions to treat this complex condition.

A message of hope

Professor Fergal O’Brien, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation in RCSI and Head of the Tissue Engineering Research Group where the research was carried out said “The experience shared within these pages illuminates the unique challenges faced by those with spinal cord injuries, and the medical complications that can arise with the condition – even many years after the initial injury. The book also serves as a message of hope, bounded on cautious optimism that research will advance future treatment for the repair of complex spinal cord injuries.”

Unfailing hope

Dr Éimear Smith, Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine, Mater Misericordiae University and National Rehabilitation Hospitals, said “As the breadth of spinal cord injury research expands globally and becomes increasingly complex, we must remember why we strive for breakthroughs in this field. Ciarán’s interest in and enthusiasm for the RCSI spinal cord repair project, as well as his unfailing hope, are a constant reminder of this. Ciarán, with other seriously injured rugby players supported by the IRFU Charitable Trust, gives us clear insight into life with a spinal cord injury and an understanding of how we must focus our research on seeking recovery.

“The passion with which Ciarán has approached his role in the RCSI’s Tissue Engineering Research Group Spinal Cord Research Advisory Panel continues to inspire our researchers, to ask questions and seek answers, as we endeavour to make a difference to the lives of all those people affected by spinal cord injury.”

Closer to Walking Again is available from all good bookshops and from the Dublin University Press website.