CONOR DUFFY will be spectating rather than competing at this weekend’s Donegal International Rally – but the Castlebar man is just glad to be alive.
Last St Stephen’s Day, Duffy was traveling from Castlebar to his girlfriend’s home in Dromore West, County Sligo.
Duffy estimates he was 50 metres from his destination when his life changed utterly.
Picture caption: Conor Duffy, rally navigator who is on the road to recovery following a serious accident, with Donegal Sport Hub’s Chris McNulty. Picture by Geraldine Diver
His car slipped on black ice, went out of control and careered into wall.
“I was dead for seven and a half minutes,” Duffy says now.
Duffy’s story is one of inspiration, of hope, of belief. And, ultimately, about a dream of getting back into a rally car to call the pace notes again.
“I was lucky, not unlucky,” he points out.
It is certainly a remarkable outlook, given that he died twice that afternoon.
He says: “I was brought back to life, just about. On the way into hospital in the ambulance, they lost me again. I was 50 metres from my girlfriend’s house. I died again. They had to put tubes down my throat to get me back to life.
“Beaumont wouldn’t take me. They said I wouldn’t make it through the night. I was anointed by a priest and my mother was told: ‘This is it, say your goodbyes’.
[adrotate group=”70″]“I broke my collarbone, I broke my pelvis, I broke my shoulder and I had a very serious brain injury. Even now, to this day, my brain is swollen and it haemorrhaged a few times. I lost a lot blood.
“The brain injury is something that could affect me now for another year or so.”
A talented sprinter, he lost 7 kilos – ‘I was just skin and bone’ he smiles.
Duffy was in Sligo Hospital for a month, including three days on life support, a week in an induced coma and 17 days in intensive care.
When he awoke from his coma, his mother was in view. When a second person came along, he couldn’t hold back the tears.
[adrotate group=”37″]He says: “The second person I saw was Rory Kennedy. He walked in and I just started bawling crying. He was a childhood hero of mine and is someone I look up to.”
Duffy had worked with Kennedy and Garry Jennings at rallies, doing gravel notes, but this weekend he’s content to be spectating and urging the Subaru to victory. Tonight he played in the drivers versus co-drivers football match at Ballyare, delighted to be among the banter of rally week in Donegal.
Duffy’s approach that he was ‘lucky’ to survive the ordeal, rather than unlucky to be left having to be resurrected, is in keeping with his positive outlook on life.
The Garda forensic report into his accident confirmed that no blame could be apportioned to the Castlebar man. He was rather just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
[adrotate group=”38”]He says: “If it wasn’t me, it was going to be the next person on the road.
“I’m recovering slowly, but I’m in constant pain every day. The dream is to do this rally again one day.
“I have a long road ahead of me, but I have a good team around me and some great positivity.”
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