Fundraising drive for teen paralysed after freak fall in Storm Emma

"Jack has remained positive, upbeat and determined."

The life of a Cork teenager was changed forever in an accident during Storm Emma and now his family are seeking help to support him throughout his recovery. Jack O'Driscoll was out in the snow with his friends in Mayfield on the north side of the city on 1 March before the Status Red weather warning came into effect. He fell awkwardly and fractured his C5 vertebrate in his neck. The accident left the 19-year-old paralysed from the chest down. Jack was brought to Cork University Hospital immediately but soon had to be transferred to Dublin's Mater for surgery. Three weeks on, he's now in the hospital's High Dependency Unit. Efforts are now being made to raise funds to help support his treatment. "This is the first tentative stage in a long road to recovery for Jack," his friends and family said on his GoFundMe page. "Through all of this Jack has remained positive, upbeat and determined. "Based on Jack’s outlook, his friends and family are hopeful that his progress will continue and allow him to begin the next stage of his rehabilitation at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dún Laoghaire." His friends and family have been "overwhelmed by goodwill and support" since the accident, they say. "We feel we owe it to Jack to approach this aspect of his recovery with the same determination he has shown in the early stages of his rehabilitation." Less than 48 hours after it was set up, over €50,000 has been donated to the GoFundMe account by the public. Find out more here.