With steely determination, courage and resilience, Oliver Smith refused to believe he that he couldn’t pursue an active life, despite suffering serious injuries from a road traffic collision four years ago, writes Kieran O’Mahony.
Meeting Oliver Smith at his martial arts studio in Clonakilty last week, it was immediately evident that he possesses a real joie de vivre.
It’s not surprising that the 34-year-old, who is originally from Meath, refused to accept medical advice that he may never walk again, never mind take participate in his beloved sport jiu-jitsu following a devastating motorbike accident in Kilkenny in September 2021.
He was actually travelling to a jiu-jitsu event in Kilkenny towards the end of the lockdown almost four years ago, when he was run off the road on his motorbike.
The numerous medals he has collected in recent years almost serve as a symbol of his defiance since then, that pins in his back and neck would not stop him in living his life to the max.
‘I ended up breaking my neck, and I completed shattered my shoulder and suffered massive brain trauma among other injuries. Initially the doctors didn’t know what was wrong with me and I kept tell them I was choking, as the wings from my vertebrae broke off and stabbed into the back of my throat and I was bleeding.
‘I couldn’t speak and I was choking,’ said Oliver.
‘I couldn’t tell you how lucky I was after the accident, as the first person to come to my aid was a nurse named Helen who told me not to move. The second person was an ambulance driver called Aidan, and they both saved my saved my life.’
He was later taken to the National Spine Injury unit at the Mater Hospital in Dublin for surgery, spending two weeks there before going home to recover for almost three months.
‘The doctors initially told me that I’d probably never walk again, but following the surgery they said my quality of life would be done but at least I would be able to walk again. I just didn’t believe them.’
Oliver’s recovery took the best part of two years, with regular visits to physiotherapists and to the Global Bodywork & Injury Clinic in Cork city, but he still has nerve damage and chronic pain issues as well.
‘I just wasn’t going to accept any of these limitations, and I threw the kitchen sink at all types of rehab. I just wanted to find a way back to normality. In my mind I’m still doing this recovery.’
Oliver with his wife Deirdre; he was treated at the National Spine Injury unit in the Mater, and ultimately, his recovery took the best part of two years.
He said there was a chance that he could have just listened to all the medical experts, and even his parents, who advised him not to go back to jiu-jitsu but he chose not to listen.
‘I chose to believe that they were all wrong, and have thankfully proved them wrong, and my parents are delighted with my progress.’
He previously coached jiu-jitsu at Studio Galera in Bandon, and he was determined to find a way to get back onto the mat.
‘I told my physio, personal trainer and osteopath what I wanted to achieve, and gave them my ultimatum. I started slowly going back to training without sparring or fighting; it was a gradual progression and I literally ripped through the pain.’
That pain has resulted in Oliver picking up numerous medals from competitions around the country, including gold at the Irish Open last summer.
‘It was almost like my second birth after the accident, despite the pins and screw all holding me together! I’m not sure my doctors were all that enthusiastic about me competing in the sport.’
Oliver ended up quitting his job, as he had found in increasingly hard to concentrate due to the brain trauma he endured, as well as the drugs he was taking for his pain.
He began coaching some youngsters in both Bandon and Skibbereen which led him down the path to open Na Fianna Martial Arts Gym in February.
‘We spent months searching for the right premises for the gym until we came across this premises in the Railway Yard in Clonakilty which was the perfect fit. The name too is important, as Na Fianna were Irish warriors, and it was something that was needed and has a particular Irish touch.’
Oliver also credits his wife Deirdre for all her help in his recovery battle, which he said will never really stop.
‘She has been brilliant. We are a team and Sean, my brother-in- law, has been brilliant too. This project was also community-driven as lads from my classes in Skibbereen came and helped with the fit up for gym.’
He observes that there is an ‘ocean of lost young people’, not just across West Cork and the country.
‘They don’t know what they want but when they come here they learn discipline and new skills, and that’s confidence building for them, which is great.’
