MOSE Masoe finds his life dominated by five words – ‘heel-toe’ and ‘sit to stand’. But that is a lot better than five others said just four months ago – he may never walk again. However the Hull KR prop has targets. Only rather than win trophies, it is walk around the house unaided. And […]
MOSE Masoe finds his life dominated by five words – ‘heel-toe’ and ‘sit to stand’.
But that is a lot better than five others said just four months ago – he may never walk again.
However the Hull KR prop has targets. Only rather than win trophies, it is walk around the house unaided.
And his eventual aim is to stride out at the club he was playing for when his career was ended in an instant.
An incident he describes as ‘my fault.’
Masoe could not feel anything from the shoulders down when a ligament in his neck snapped and ended up blocking his spinal cord during a pre-season match at Wakefield.
Now he can walk unaided, do the vacuuming – as the stick provides an extra support – and head up the stairs in a remarkable recovery.
‘Get up and walk’ sounds simple but when you have to learn all over again as an adult, it is anything but – especially when you remember how routine it was.
Yet Masoe wants to go further as the ‘heel-toe’ instruction on placing your feet runs through his head.
He also wants to be able to get up from his perching stool – a higher than normal chair that helps people sit and stand – without using his arms for support.
And he wants to do it all in just eight weeks when wife Carissa is due to give birth to his son.
Masoe, who hopes to restart specialist physio soon, said: “I’m hoping I can I get about the house well enough without a frame.
“’Heel-toe’ is constant but I’ve got a bad knee from one of my other injuries!
“I can probably do about 10 metres unaided and that’s a massive thing, I was quite emotional when I looked back on the first time I tried on video. I was just so happy.
“Just seeing the excitement in my little girls’ faces and how much it means for us as a family – my youngest, Marlowe, is definitely the boss!
“My next aim is to do ‘sit to stands’ without using my arms. I have a perching stool which means my legs are aren’t at 90 degrees but I still use my shoulders to push myself up.
“As a sportsman, you’re used to repetition. It can get tedious but I’m trying to do things every day and a little more.
“I’m still on medication as I get spasms in my stomach which can hinder me but my immediate target is to do the sit to stand without using my arms, that would be massive for me.
“And my balance isn’t great – it takes me about 10 steps to turn 180 degrees.
“I’m doing a lot more than I was in hospital. I’ve got to be careful, though. I still have to get to bed!”
Masoe has been supported by the Rugby Football League’s benevolent fund as a stairlift was put in at home – only one, though, as the Samoa international wanted another flight for exercise.
He has started going upstairs on his feet but comes down on his backside.
And it has not always been an upward curve. Leaving Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, to carry on at home in Hessle, East Yorkshire, was hindered by not having physio sessions because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
There are also days when he feels low as he admitted: “Sometimes I do get frustrated.
“But I just look back on where I was 16 weeks ago. If something doesn’t happen, I just hope it does in a couple of days’ time.
“The hospital did a great job. They got me walking on a frame and my physio was awesome. He was always pushing me and when it looked like I’d be coming home, he went really hard and challenged me every day.”
For all his Herculean efforts, Masoe was used to them after establishing himself as one of Super League’s most powerful props.
While he could be forgiven for not wanting to watch another second of rugby league action, the 31-year-old is the opposite.
He wants to watch it live at Craven Park, even though he believes he is only in his situation because of how good he was.
Masoe added to SunSport: “I’m just grateful for playing a game I love for 12 years. I can’t be sorrowful about it as it was me doing something that I love.
“When I was in the spinal unit, there were a lot of people in there because of accidents that weren’t their fault. I felt sorry for them.
“What happened is pretty much my own fault as it happened when I was doing something I loved, whereas with these guys it didn’t.
“And I can’t wait to get back to Hull KR. Everyone has always been there for me. I want to go back.”
WHAT DO THE FIVE WORDS MEAN?
HEEL-TOE
WHEN people are learning to walk again, they are often told to follow the ‘heel-toe’ method.
That means making contact with the ground using your heel and pushing off through your toes.
SIT TO STAND
ONE OF the most basic exercises used in situations like this is the ‘sit to stand.’
Basically, from a sitting position, you lean forward so your nose is over your toes and you push through your feet to bring yourself to a standing position.
