Rugby player 'shocked' by wheelchair fund kindness

Patrick Murphy was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome when he was 23

A wheelchair rugby league player is set to gain a custom-made chair after an anonymous benefactor stepped forward to help him hit a funding target.

Patrick Murphy, 31, from York, has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which causes his joints to randomly dislocate.

Mr Murphy raised £2,500 towards the £5,000 target needed to replace his "very old, falling apart wheelchair", with the remaining £2,500 offered in a single donation after hearing his story on BBC Radio York.

Reacting to the generosity, the York Knights player said: "I'm shocked, I can't believe it, thank you."

Mr Murphy says wheelchair rugby has helped with his mental and physical health

Mr Murphy, who currently uses a third-hand wheelchair, said he had been playing the sport for two years and it had "changed his life".

Joints dislocations cause him extreme pain, he said, with the chair stopping it happening to his hips, ankles and knees.

Addressing the benefactor, he said: "I want to say the biggest 'thank you' in the whole wide world.

"If you were here right now I'd throw my arms around you and give you the biggest hug I could - you'll never know how much this means to me."

Mr Murphy, who was diagnosed with EDS when he was 23, said he had been through some "rough times" with the condition.

"I'd like to think that now I'm on better terms with it and I've learnt how to live with it better," he said.

Speaking about their player, Dawn Shore, of York RLFC, said he was a highly motivated man who "never misses the opportunity to train and play".

"A customised wheelchair will allow Patrick to continue to be the effective player that he is," she said.

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