Former Fitzroy player Kevin O’Keeffe won’t ever forget the day his team faced Footscray in Round 2 of 1975.
It was a match where one moment – an incident not too dissimilar to one you’d see 100 times each weekend out on the football field – would change a life forever.
An accidental collision saw O’Keeffe collide with the head of Bulldog Neil Sachse. The impact snapped Sachse’s spinal cord and left him a quadriplegic.
It remains the one and only instance in VFL/AFL history where a player has been left permanently disabled from an on-field injury.
There have been a handful of similar occurrences during lower grade matches over the past few decades, the most recent of which involved Geelong VFL player Casey Tutungi in 2013.
These tragic circumstances now serve as constant reminders of both the need for further research into the treatment of spinal cord injuries, and the dangers of the game.
Not a day goes by that O’Keeffe doesn’t reflect on that fateful day.
“You think about it all the time,” O’Keeffe said.
“It's just one of those things that can happen in a split-second, and it's about making people aware of that split-second if you're not thinking about it.
“The hardest part is I can't tell you how it would be to be on the other side. I'm lucky. I can't change it. I can't take back time. All I can do is help people be aware of it.”
That awareness comes from O’Keeffe’s ongoing support of the Neil Sachse Foundation, which was established by Sachse himself in 1995 to help find a cure for spinal cord injury.
Sachse’s dedication has seen him make a profound impact in spinal research projects – he was even recognised as a State Finalist in the 2014 Australian of The Year Awards
O’Keeffe continues to do his part for the Foundation by supporting their fundraising initiatives.
One such initiative is the Project Discovery Classic – a three-day 370km bike ride around the Barossa Valley in South Australia in November, that O’Keeffe will be embarking on alongside good friend, work colleague, and long-time Fitzroy/Lions man, Peter Skidmore.
The pair has already raised over $10,000 for the Foundation, but encourages contributions from others to help drive the cause.
"This is not about me, it's about awareness, and if I can get on a bike for Neil's foundation, it's a small bit I can do," O’Keeffe said.
You can support the Neil Sachse Foundation by pledging a donation towards Kevin O’Keeffe’s Ride Around Barossa online here.
The Foundation also welcomes more participants to take part in the ride itself. Full details of how you can get involved can be found here.
