Scoil Oilibhéir student Luke Ring showed great heart and courage to cheer on his schoolmates after his leg snapped two minutes into his school’s Sciath na Scol final last Thursday.
Ring, who has been playing for the Scoil Oilibhéir school team since fourth class, was named captain for the final but snapped his prosthetic leg within minutes of the match starting and was subsequently forced off the pitch.
Ring stayed on the sideline after the unfortunate injury and he was seen encouraging his teammates, speaking at half-time and leading his team up for presentation following the final whistle.
“It has broken before,” said Scoil Oilibhéir teacher Mark O’Driscoll.
“He’s an active kid and to be fair to him he doesn’t let it hold him back. He moves, he plays, he cycles with the lads and he runs and jumps off walls but he doesn’t let it hold him back.
“He needed it most in the final and it caused trouble for him. He’s been a great player for us in both football and hurling so we’re devastated for him but also very proud in the way he handled it.”
Ring was born with Fibular hemimelia; a birth defect where part or all of the fibular bone is missing.
Ring’s mother Regina said he practices his frees every day with his friends after school and adores hurling, and while his prosthetic limb has broken before, the Sciath na Scol final against St. Mary’s Carrigtwohill was the first time his prosthetic failed him in a match.
“When it happens it’s usually when he’s out playing, it’s never in a match,” said Regina Ring.
“This would have been the first time it’s happened in a match. Of all times for it to happen, on that day, it was devastating.
“He’s going for an operation on Friday and in fairness to the lads they knew he was going for an operation so that’s why they tried to bring the match forward so he could play.
“They wanted him to be there for the game. He wanted me to try and go and take it back to the hospital to see if they could fix it but sure it’s 20 minutes a half and the hospital was on the other side of the city.
“I’d have never had got it out on time and once he realised that it was over, but he stayed around and cheered on his teammates.
“He was very upset, he was crying, he was heartbroken, but he stayed around until the end and when he came back to school the lads did a guard of honour for him.
“He did a speech as well, and while he didn’t exactly take it in his stride, he realised it was done and he just got on with it.”
Regina hopes that Luke will be able to get stronger, titanium prosthetic limbs in the future so that he can keep playing hurling as he grows older and as his body develops.
A remarkable show of strength from a 12-year-old who refuses to let a birth defect get in the way of his love of sport.
