Ian Schubert: Roosters league legend’s horror fight to save leg
Roosters rugby league legend Ian Schubert has revealed the desperate 26-hour surgery battle to save his leg after a grisly road crash left his foot “pretty much off”.
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Rugby league great Ian Schubert has revealed his agonising battle to stop his left leg from being amputated in the wake of a horror motorbike accident which left his foot hanging off.
Schubert, 63, has broken his three month silence as he recovers from the three major operations — a total 26 hours under the knife — to rescue his foot, which was detached from his leg through three severed arteries after the crash at Randwick in early September.
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“It (his foot) was pretty much off — there was a strip of skin the size of a Band-aid holding it on,” Schubert told The Daily Telegraph.
In an inspiring and courageous story, Schubert — the former Roosters, Wests, Manly and Kangaroos champion — tells of the dark four weeks in St Vincent’s Hospital where surgeons desperately attempted to save his leg from amputation.
Schubert won’t know until March whether the surgery has been a complete success. The former NRL auditor said: “I thank my lucky stars every day, really. I’ve been given second go.”
THE ACCIDENT
Schubert, the 1975 Easts grand final hero, was flung from his favourite Harley Davidson when Ghanaian national Perpetual Dzikunu crashed into the footy star during September 1 on King St, Randwick. Dzikunu was convicted of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and disqualified from driving for 18 months earlier this month.
“I know what happened — I can remember 98 per cent until point of contact. I don’t remember much after that,” Schubert said.
“I didn’t want to look at it (immediately after the accident). I didn’t look down after it happened. I knew it was ugly so I didn’t bother. The first I saw of it was when it was back on there with a frame around it.
“It (his foot) was pretty much off – there was a strip of skin the size of a band aid holding it on.”
THE SURGERY
Schubert had two rods inserted into his ankle, a skin graft along with muscles and nerves removed from one part of his body and attached to his leg.
“They did two 12-hour operations on it and then later that week another two-hour operation. I’m a bit of a patch-work quilt,” he said.
“They took nerves from the other leg, a muscle out of my back so it had some blood flow through it; a skin graft from the other side. The surgeons at St Vincent’s, the plastics, what they did was beyond belief.
“They were a crack team and there were plenty of them. I remember waking in intensive care and they talked to me about whether I wanted a crack at saving it. The room was full of surgeons and assistants, nurses. It was a big campaign and I’ve got to say I’m pretty thankful for it all.”
THE RECOVERY
Schubert will live with permanent damage — and probable pain — but has returned home to convalesce. He walks with the assistance of crutches.
“From the knees up I’m pretty good and I’m improving from the knees down every day. It’s still a bit delicate to be doing too much rehab. I’m filling in my days trying to get my head right,” he said.
“I try to elevate and rest. The more rest, the better although I have been exercising and trying to walk with crutches. That’s been helpful in keeping the leg strong.
“Because of all the rods in the ankle and bone, it means I don’t have any flexibility when I walk. It’s rigid, which makes it hard. It’s still in the healing process as well.”
However, the league great could still find the funny side of his situation: “It doesn’t look pretty — my foot modelling career…gooone.”
THE FUTURE
The road ahead will be challenging for the former Roosters great.
“It will come good again, it won’t be perfect but I will to somewhere where I want to be,” he said. “I will never get to full recovery. I will end up with a lot of arthritis in my ankle. But hopefully I will get to a point where I can walk around with a bit of a limp but not too much pain.
“I haven’t got a lot of pain at the moment but I’m not doing too much. When I do too much, it starts to play up a bit. I’m not out of the woods yet. They said six months to make sure it takes fully — to give me the all-clear that it can stay on. I’ve got a couple of months to go.”
Asked would he ride a motorbike again, Schubert said; “Yeah, I will get back. That’s my goal. I needed a goal, it’s just a matter of timing. The bike is still in the garage looking shiny.”
THE SUPPORT
Schubert’s wife, Anthea, has been incredibly supportive, as has the entire rugby league family.
“She was by my side right through — she’s been a tower of strength. It’s been pretty hard on her as you could imagine. She has been off work since it all happened, looking after me, thank God,” he said.
“The support has been overwhelming. I didn’t have my phone with me for the first couple of months because I was in and out, trying to sleep and recover. Anthea was looking after that and there were plenty of numbers that came up she didn’t know. We got back to most of them.
“Even to this day, I still have mates who come around and have a coffee with me once a week to see how I’m going and making sure I’m not going stir-crazy at home because I can’t drive yet, naturally. Hopefully that will end soon so at least I can drive myself up the coffee shop.
“I go out for an hour or so every day, get someone to pick me up and take me for coffee.”
HOGS FOR HOMELESS
Schubert has played an immense role in the Brad Fittler’s inspired NSWRL charity motorcycle ride through the country each year.
Fittler presented $60,000 to Father Chris Riley from Youth off the Streets at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence on Tuesday. Hogs For The Homeless has raised more than $760,000 for the charity.
“Over the years, it’s been a wonderful thing,” Schubert said. “This will be year eight. When ‘Freddie (Fittler) has a passion, he follows it through. It’s been a joy watching him get so excited every year when it comes around.
“It’s good for the soul, I can tell you. It’s also about spreading the love for rugby league and the NSW side. I’d like to think I’ll ride the Hogs next year but I’m not quite sure I will be back for that. It could be a while after that.
“It depends on what the doctor needs. At the moment he is a bit reticent for me to undo any of his handiwork.”
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THE TRIBUTE
Fittler was generous in his praise for Schubert.
“He is very tough. The reports coming out of the hospital are quite incredible the courage he has shown under pressure and duress,” Fittler said. “Initially it looked awful. Thankfully there were a couple of doctors who stepped in and thought they had the ability to save his foot.
“Basically, they took his lat muscle out and wrapped it around his ankle to allow blood to go through to his foot. Comprehend that. ‘Schoey’ is our captain. He organises everything and is the one that leads us around. We just hope he gets better.
“I don’t think he will be riding next year. I know he wants to but he might have to get a bike altered. His wife says he won’t be riding next year so that means he won’t be. He will be in a car and as much apart of Hogs as he has always been.”
Originally published as Ian Schubert: Roosters league legend’s horror fight to save leg