By Molly Magennis
In 2017, James Day suffered a serious neck injury during a game of footy which left him unconscious and in a neck brace for two months.
This December, he’s taking on a half marathon at the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival, and raising money for a special charity close to his heart.
The Maidstone local suffered bruising and swelling of his spinal cord as a result of his injury, with one of the side effects being hypersensitivity of his skin, which he says was initially quite worrying.
After being in hospital for a week, Mr Day was finally given the all clear to go home but he still hadn’t fully recovered.
“[For the first two or three weeks] I didn’t really leave the house because I couldn’t put a shirt on because my skin was so sensitive,” he said.
On the recommendation of his doctor and neurosurgeon, Mr Day was told to avoid contact sports, which he found really difficult.
“I sort of played footy since I was eight years old. To go from playing [and] having that as your main thing you focus on, to not being able to ever play that again was pretty challenging mentally, and meant I didn’t have a lot to focus on and work towards.”
That was until he started seeing a psychologist to help deal with his chronic pain, who suggested that something to focus on and aim towards would be helpful in his recovery.
When some friends mentioned they were doing a half marathon, Mr Day decided that it would be the perfect challenge to get him motivated and focused.
Mr Day is raising money for Very Special Kids (VSK), a charity which worked closely with his cousin Lachlan when he was alive.
“[Lachlan] needed full time care while he was alive, before he passed away when he was around 6 years old,” Mr Day said.
“It’s sort of always stuck out in my mind that VSK were involved and were sort of always around and providing support and care. I think it really made a big difference to both his life and [my auntie’s and uncle’s life].”
The Nike half marathon will take place on Sunday, December 12. To keep up with Mr Day’s training and donate to his fundraiser visit: melbmara2021.grassrootz.com/vsk/james-day
