Hull midfielder Ryan Mason reveals all about recovery from fractured skull suffered during Chelsea clash last season
Former Tottenham star had 14 metal plates and 42 staples inserted into his skull as he plans return to the pitch
RYAN MASON’S moment of clarity came doing the most mundane of tasks.
It was not gliding through a crowded centre-circle that made the England midfielder believe in himself again.
For Mason, the turning point in his recovery from a fractured skull was when he could finally pick up a glass of orange juice. And lift it to his lips.
A simple act, one most people accomplish without a second thought.
Yet the Hull star, 26, had stared into a personal abyss, with not just his career but his very life on the line just a few weeks before.
The footballing world was stunned and horrified by the sickening accidental clash of heads with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill at Stamford Bridge last January.
And, as he told talkSport’s Jim White in an exclusive interview broadcast today, he needed to accomplish something basic to recognise he was on the road back.
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Mason had 14 metal plates and 42 staples inserted into his skull by neurosurgeons at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.
He feared he might not survive.
Mason said: “It was a massive operation. I’ve seen numerous surgeons since and they have said it was the worst head injury they’d seen in sport.
“They usually see that sort of thing with car crash victims. I still chew gum to get my face moving because there is a bit of muscle wastage on the side which will hopefully come back.”
The former Spurs ace is still recovering, but hopes to be back playing soon — albeit wearing Petr Cech-style protective head gear for the rest of his career.
Yet even after coming round from the operation, Mason feared he would never be able to walk again — let alone play.
In the immediate days afterwards he was so weak he to be fed by his partner, Rachel.
Mason added: “At first I could not open my mouth and my jaw was locked. Rachel had to feed me with a spoon and I didn’t have the strength to pick up a glass.
“That was a strange experience. I went home after eight days in hospital and a couple of days later she made me breakfast and I could pick up a glass of orange juice for the first time.
“It was such a big deal to pick up a glass of orange juice myself and drink it.
“Even then for the first month I couldn’t really be around anyone. It was difficult because I couldn’t hold a conversation and was sleeping 18-20 hours a day.
“The family would just pop around and say are you OK and Rachel would sit in the living room and keep an eye on me with no TV on.
“There was a time when I thought how can I walk again, never mind play on a football pitch?
“But as soon as I started walking and then jogging there was only one thing in my mind — play again.”
He can recall the events of January 22 only too well and said: “I still get a lump in my throat just thinking about it.
“There was a cross from Eden Hazard, I jumped for a header and then the impact came.
“I knew straightaway it was a serious injury. I touched my head and there was nothing there but it felt like my skull was bleeding.
“I did panic because the pain was like something had gone off in my head.
“The Hull doctor, Mark Waller, came on and knew I had fractured my skull because the right side of my face was paralysed.
“I was blessed in that there were three or four hospitals all within 30 minutes of Stamford Bridge and it was important he picked the right one.
“He took me directly to St Mary’s rather than the nearest because he knew I needed operating on.
“That decision was vital. It was 61 minutes from the accident to the operation. The bleeding on the brain was not long enough to cause serious damage and I think that is why I’ve recovered so well.
“I was still in my kit in the ambulance and had a bit of an out-of-body experience. It felt peaceful and the last thing I remember in the ambulance was an image of Rachel running on a hill with a dog and a little boy and girl.
“Looking back it was bizarre. She is six months pregnant now and I’m adamant we are going to have a girl because the girl in the image was bigger than the boy.”
Mason has not watched the accident on TV and added: “I don’t see the point. Why would I put myself through watching it?”
He also admits early on in his recovery noise used to affect him and revealed: “The first six or seven weeks my energy was low and I couldn’t watch TV because the noise was too much.
“I went to see Hull play Sunderland at the end of last season and took bright orange ear plugs with me which was a bit embarrassing having to use them because the noise was a bit too much, but now it’s fine.”
Mason, was visited in his early days of recovery by Cech — who fractured his skull against Reading in 2006 — and still keeps in regular touch.
Now the £13million buy hopes to be back playing soon.
He added: “My brain is fine — it’s just a bit of bone that still needs fusing together.
“I’ve no hard feelings towards Gary Cahill. Things happen in football and it was an accident.
“I will wear some kind of head protection. I won’t be silly but I’m always going to be a player who will head the ball.
“My best years, I feel, are still to come. Anyone who knew me at Spurs knows I was a late developer and I still think I’ve got another ten years in the game.
“I’m waiting for the final chapter now — when I get back on the pitch.
“And when I go to bed thinking about playing it’s like being a kid again dreaming about playing for England.”
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