A LITTLE OVER a week after fracturing his skull during the Premier League clash with Chelsea, Hull midfielder Ryan Mason has been discharged from hospital.
The 25-year-old underwent emergency surgery at St Mary’s Hospital in London after a horrific clash of heads with Gary Cahill during Hull’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on 22 January.
He has, however, made excellent progress since and the Premier League club this evening announced that Mason is returning home to continue his recovery.
“The Club is delighted to report that Ryan Mason has been discharged from St Mary’s Hospital in London,” a statement read.
“Ryan will now continue his recovery and early stages of rehabilitation at home and the Club would once again like to place on record its thanks to everybody who has been involved in Ryan’s care so far.
“Club Doctor Mark Waller, Head of Medical Rob Price and First Team Physio Alan Peacham were the first to treat Ryan on the field and were quick to praise the wider team involved in safely transporting the midfielder to hospital.
“However, the trio have since been overwhelmed by the offers of help and support that have come in from the medical profession, their counterparts at other clubs and the wider world, and have moved to thank everybody who has been in contact.”
Hull announced last Monday that Mason was conscious and able to speak following a visit by captain Michael Dawson and club officials.
Chelsea representatives — including Cahill and Blues captain John Terry — visited him hours after Sunday’s match.
Following the collision between Cahill and Mason, medical staff from both clubs sprinted out to attend to the two players, with referee Neil Swarbrick halting play for close to 10 minutes as they each received on-field treatment.
Cahill returned to his feet and scored Chelsea’s second goal, a header, but Mason left the field on a stretcher while receiving oxygen.
“The number of messages offering support during Ryan’s recovery has been quite overwhelming,” Hull doctor Mark Waller said.
“It is certainly true to say that the football family rallies around at times like this and we would like to thank everybody that has been in contact with us in recent days. We would also like to say a special ‘thank you’ to Julian Redhead and Kevin Tsang, two consultants who have been instrumental in Ryan’s recovery to this point.
“Their calmness and professional manner enabled us all to have absolute confidence that Ryan was in good hands. A&E departments in many towns and cities nationwide have had some criticism recently but I have nothing but admiration for all of the staff who cared for us last Sunday.
“As with everything in life, there are always lessons that can be learned and one of the most frequently asked questions that myself and the rest of our medical team have been asked in the past week is ‘how would we respond if this kind of incident happened on a park pitch during a Sunday League game without the immediate medical support that is in place at professional fixtures?
“No matter where or when something like this occurs, there are great challenges to overcome even for those of us experienced in trauma work. However, there are ways in which people involved in grassroots football can prepare, as best they can, to deal with such incidents.”
