25 / 66
He says: “It’s been great to be back in
amongst the boys. I haven’t been doing too
much so far, I’ve just been on the bike for
about 30 minutes each day but it’s great
to be back in the environment, around the
team and being in the mix with everybody.”
While it was a worrying time for the back-
row forward since the episode at the start
of November, Chris is quick to praise the
treatment and expert care he has received
from both the IRFU and Ulster medical
teams:
“It’s been a scary few weeks to be honest
but I feel very lucky that I was in that
environment and getting such incredible
medical expertise so quickly,” he says.
“They got to the bottom of things swiftly and
I think that’s the most important thing; when
something like that happens, the unknown
is the scary thing and to have clarity on
what was going on and having the problem
fixed so quickly - for me, I feel very lucky.”
The other aspect of the past month that
Chris is keen to highlight is the remarkable
support that he has received from across
the island of Ireland and beyond.
“The only word to describe it is
overwhelming,” he says. “For myself,
my family and my girlfriend, the support
really was incredible. Players, coaches,
past players, fans, the Ulster Branch, the
IRFU and the wider rugby community;
to have had such brilliant support was
overwhelming.”
Now that he has had successful surgery
and is back training, his next target is to get
back on the pitch for Ulster and Ireland:
“I’ve been told by doctors and especially
my mother, to take things very slow, as
you’d imagine! So I’m not rushing it but I
want to get back, I’m determined to get
back, and hopefully I will be before the end
of this season.
“We’ll have to take it week by week, month
by month. I’ve got a month of light cardio
work to do and then I’ll start ramping it up
a bit in the gym and getting back amongst
the team. For me it’s building blocks and
small steps.”
Rugby supporters from across the island
of Ireland are just glad that it is when, not if,
Chris will be back.
It is less than a month since Chris Henry suffered a
blocked blood vessel in his brain, its just over a week
since the Ulster and Ireland flanker underwent heart
surgery to correct a defect in his heart wall. However,
the 30 year-old is already back on the bike and doing
light training as he begins the road back to playing.
CHRIS HENRY:
I FEEL INCREDIBLY LUCKY
www.
ulster
rugby.com
23
ULSTER
RUGBY