Mose Masoe has lifted the lid on his devastating spinal injury after a foundation was launched in his name to help both him and other players in similar situations.
Masoe suffered a career-ending and life-changing spinal injury last January playing for Hull KR, damaging two vertebrae in his spine. Inspirational videos of him walking again have presented a false image of his future - Masoe has been diagnosed tetraplegic, one of the worst forms of paralysis, which means he has partial or total loss of use of all four limbs and torso.
Whilst some people experience improvements in symptoms, and others may regain partial or complete control over the affected areas with time, there is currently no way to reverse the damage done. As his partner of 10 years, and mother to three of his young children, Evie-Rose, Marlowe and Lui, Carissa is now Masoe’s full-time carer.
She has to provide round the clock assistance and care, including helping him to go to the toilet, as his bladder and bowels do not function naturally. Masoe said: “As a man and someone who has always wanted to look after my family, I have felt guilty at all the pressure that has fallen onto her shoulders by my injury.
“She has had to take the burden of it all. As a man you want to provide for your family. I’d love to be able to do that again, but at present we can’t plan for that to ever be the case again. She has to look after the kids and look after me. She hasn’t got three kids now, she’s got four. I know I am facing potentially a lifetime of struggle. I’ll never be normal again. That’s just the truth.
“I can keep working on getting the legs going that bit more, but I’ve got to accept I’ll be on medication all my life, and the issues I have with my bladder and bowels could be lifelong. There have been lots of dark times. They’ll no doubt be many more, but I’ll keep going. I’ll stay positive.”
The Mose Masoe Foundation has been launched to raise funds for players like the Samoan international and Super League will dedicate its Easter round to him. Fans are being urged to buy virtual tickets to matches and can choose to donate either £5, £10, £15, or £20.
Partner Carissa has revealed how a recent doctor’s report acted as a reality check for them both. She explained: “It was a big moment for us as it outlined how Mose’s injury will impact on us in later life. It reflected on how his injuries are likely to age him quicker than other people of his age now.
“He could need to have a wheelchair in later years, and of course I’ll age too and be less capable of looking after him than I am now. Being presented with a vision of the future, and how tough that could be, was hard. I’m 33 and Mose is 31. We’d never have looked that far ahead. We’ve had to have honest conversations and accept the worrying reality.
“Mose is still ultra-positive, and sometimes I feel I need to remind him that this is not the normal rehabilitation process from an injury and he won’t make a full recovery. He’s accepting that now – whilst always determined to do better.
“We have always tried not to feel sorry for ourselves, and in the most we don’t, but there are many times I look at Mose and feel sad. I’m sad for him when I look at him with Lui and he can’t scoop him up like he did the girls when they were babies. I wonder how he’s coping with that.
“Mose has pushed himself to get to where he is today and I have said to him that had this been the other way around, and I had suffered that kind of injury, we would never have got this far. He’s incredible and I’m often in awe of him, and we love him so much.
“Mose is a one in million in terms of how he has accepted what has happened and how he has faced it, but we’ve both had to accept that this is likely to be our life now. That’s what it is.”
Hull KR coach Tony Smith will be one of the Trustees of the Foundation, and he says those close to Masoe realised something special had to be done to provide him with the support he needs. Smith said: “Most people have seen videos of Mose taking his first few unaided steps last year and have been of the impression that he was just going to continue getting better and better and beat this.
“But those close to him have seen the reality of his situation and the huge difficulties he and his family now face. He’s made incredible progress by just being able to get onto his feet and walk a few steps, but away from those public videos life is so, so hard for Mose and his family, and the reality is he may have reached the peak of his recovery.
“We want fans to make whatever donation they can. This is a great opportunity to once again demonstrate what a wonderful, supportive community we have across rugby league, both in the UK and overseas, and how we always come together to help people in their time of need.”
For more details, go to www.mosemasoefoundation.co.uk
