Ex-rugby star Ed Jackson on recovering from injury that saw him retire

Former Wasps and Dragons star Ed Jackson’s rugby career was in ruins after an accident saw him dislocate vertebrae and need to be resuscitated three times… now, after surgery and rehab, he’s climbing mountains and pushing himself to the limit

• Former rugby player Ed Jackson had a horrific swimming pool accident in 2017
• He dived into a shallow swimming pool and suffered extensive spinal injuries
• Jackson was resuscitated three times in an ambulance on his way to hospital
• But, after extensive surgery and rehab, he’s heroically now climbing mountains
• Jackson and wife Lois have also managed to raise over £200,000 for charity

Former Wasps and Dragons rugby player Ed Jackson suffered a devastating accident that ended his career but – after extensive surgery and rehabilitation – he is now climbing mountains and pushing himself to the limit.

In April 2017 Jackson, the former No 8 who also played for Bath, Doncaster and London Welsh, was told he would never walk again after a horrific accident.

During a weekend off from he dived into a shallow swimming pool and suffered extensive spinal injuries. Jackson dislocated his C6/C7 vertebrae and exploded a disc, which caused the shards to slice through the left hand-side of his spinal cord. 

Ex-rugby player Ed Jackson was told he’d never be able to walk again after an awful accident

In 2017, Jackson dived into a shallow swimming pool and suffered extensive spinal injuries and had to be resuscitated three times

This removed 8mm of spinal cord, leaving him with a mere 4mm. It gets worse. Jackson had to be resuscitated three times in the ambulance on his way to hospital.

During the following months he went through extensive surgeries and rehabilitation and, within a year, he went from flickers of movement in his toes to pushing his body to its limit, scaling mountains.

Now a recovering quadriplegic, Jackson and his wife, Lois, co-founded the charity Millimetres 2 Mountains alongside former England rugby player Olly Barkley. 

After surgery and rehab, Jackson is now climbing mountains and pushing himself to the limit

Their aim was to help people overcome mental health challenges through exploration and adventure and they’ve managed to raise over £200,000 for a number of charities including Restart Rugby, Wings for Life, Neverest Orthopaedics and the NHS.

Jackson has also launched a podcast this year, named ‘It’s Good to Walk’, where he talks to other inspirational people to stress the importance of communication while each chat also uncovers some practical advice for listeners.

Jackson has also recently been seen on TV presenting Channel 4’s European Champions Cup rugby highlights and recently commentated on the Six Nations.

Jackson and wife Lois have managed to raise over £200,000 for charity in recent years

He said: ‘Sometimes in life we are faced with hurdles which seem too high to even contemplate getting over. It’s times like these we look outside of ourselves to find inspiration.

‘I believe my purpose in life is to assist others in realising that they are tough, they can achieve – and no hurdle is too high.

‘As a recovering quadriplegic, I am a living example that no matter how impossible it seems, you can move forward into a brighter future. I’m so excited to see what can be achieved as people realise that they can, and should dream big’.

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