Irish MMA fighter Ian Coughlan is struggling to raise money for the life changing surgery to walk again after a freak accident in a gym left him paralyzed. Coughlan went from having an MMA fight scheduled to being told he would likely never walk again in the span of just a couple of days.
Coughlan shared what had transpired previously:
“It was a sparring day. It was last session of the week and getting ready for fight. I was supposed to fight Marcin Zembala in the main event… Yeah a guy just kind of basically threw me on my head essentially. And i kind of went down in the diagonal way against the wall and kinda between the floor and the wall really hard. That was me paralyzed. That’s the essential part of it.”
“The actual second that my head hit the wall, I just started calling “Ambulance! Ambulance! Ambulance now!”. I knew something was, was very bad, because you know like we’re training for a long time you get injuries, you get serious ones, you have not so serious ones… The second my head hit I knew it was something really bad. A feeling come over my body like like nothing I’ve ever experienced. And then of course – yeah I remember the the frantic wait for the ambulance and the trip there. And you know all the aftermath.”
Troubled Irish sports star Conor McGregor previously donated £8,500 (roughly $11,500 )to the cause with Coughlan initially requiring needing £62,500 to receive the treatment in Germany.
The family was subsequently told they needed almost £80,000 due to increased costs connected to the Covid-19 pandemic. This – in addition to £70,000 raised online.
His family shared an update close to New Years:
We would like to extend our gratitude to all our donors, including Conor McGregor, for helping us reach our initial goal for Ian’s treatment. We have since learned that Ian’s treatment costs have increased due to COVID as the hospitals in Germany are no longer offering inpatient services; this means that Ian will need to find alternative accommodation and hire private healthcare assistants whilst in Germany. We are thankful that you have helped us reach our goal, but we would greatly appreciate further donations to help with Ian’s medical upkeep whilst in Germany. We thank you for all your kind support.
McGregor and his longtime coach John Kvanagh encouraged fans to keep donating. He told Mirror:
“The last couple of weeks over €40,000 has been added to the GoFundMe,” Kavanagh explained. “Today a few grand more and we’re getting closer to that target number.
“Between the auction coming up and everyone donating, I’m very confident in saying we’ll hit that target before Christmas and maybe make a very big difference to somebody’s life.
“They were his favourite training boots, but Conor was happy to give them over.”
His coach also hosted a fundraising seminar in Ireland attended by a whole host of UFC stars at SBG Ireland HQ where MMA fighters taught technique to beginners.
“It’s terrible what’s happened,” coach Andy Ryan from a competitor gym told Mirror at the event.
“It’s very hard on his family, it’s not just him but his wife and kids who we have to think about at this time of year around Christmas.
“Hopefully this will give them a bit of comfort, we’ll raise enough money to get the treatment he needs and he’ll be able to look after the family.”
You can donate to the gofundme here.