STEFAN Ratchford is ready to help Warrington towards Grand Final glory, even though he may never get over the freak collision that saw him end up with 11 facial fractures.
The Wolves’ club captain was unable to eat solid food for four weeks after accidentally finding the elbow of St Helens’ James Bell in a Super League match on July 19.
Now he has revealed to SunSport he has suffered nerve damage in his face, which may either take up to two years to heal or never return to how it was.
Despite that, he is fully fit and ready to go as Warrington head to Hull KR for Friday’s Super League semi-final.
“I may have a numb face for the rest of my life,” said Ratchford.
“It was 11 fractures. We thought it was ten, it was on the original scan, then when we went in for surgery, they found a fracture of my palate.
“My full eye socket had gone, upper jaw, lower jaw, my cheekbone was depressed and there were maybe two or three fractures in there.
“There was one in the area from my cheek to the bottom of my nose, then from my nose down into my gum and teeth.
“And when they went in, they found not only had it fractured from my nose to my teeth, it had also fractured back down my palate.
“There’s some nerve damage in my face too, underneath my eye, down my cheek and into my teeth and gums.
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“I don’t have much feeling down the right side of my face. It’s a lot better than it was, for the first four or five weeks, it felt fully like I’d had anaesthetic at the dentist.
“They’re not sure whether that feeling will come back or not. Some said it could be anything from a couple of months to two years, a couple said there was that much damage it’s not likely too.
“I just took an elbow, it was one of those freak accidents. James has tried to spin out of a tackle as I tried to come into it and he just caught me flush.
“But you know what, I can’t actually remember it hurting. I knew there was something wrong with the way my face felt and an hour later, it was pretty painful.
“It’s quite unfortunate with the damage that was done. Consultants were saying, ‘You may get one or two, a jaw or a cheekbone, but that’s normally the maximum.’
“When we found out there were a few more, it was a surprise for everyone. I knew there was something wrong but we didn’t quite expect it to be what it was.
“I think the face is probably going to stay as it is now. That’s as good as it’s going to get – it doesn’t look too bad on the outside to be honest!”
Bell checked in with Ratchford the following morning to make sure he was all right.
And despite the fears over nerve damage, the 36-year-old has undergone some contact training sessions and in terms of being physically fit, he is fine.
But having a liquid diet has clearly taken its toll, although he is getting back to something like his old self.
Ratchford added: “I didn’t have a meal for four, four-and-a-half weeks.
“I had these bars and wires on my teeth, along with bands that realigned my jaw, so they were on 23 hours of the day – I literally took them off to brush my teeth.
“It was soups, smoothies, yogurts, protein shakes, that was as good as it got for me. It was pretty tortuous but I’m back eating solids.
“And my clothes are fitting me semi-normally now. I lost more than a stone – the majority of which came off in the first two-and-a-half weeks. I wasn’t getting any calories into me whatsoever.
“It wasn’t ideal for someone who has to eat a lot and lift a lot to maintain what they have but I know I’ve put some weight back on.
“Obviously I’ll have a bit of scarring and there’s a bit going on inside but that’s what I’ll have to deal with going forward.
“I’m alright actually. I’m feeling as good as I can be and I’m back running and doing team stuff. I’ve done a bit of contact too – technically and cleared and free to play.
“And I’m more than happy too, if needed. I’m ready and available.”
