"I had dreamed of the World Cup for four years, but I nearly gave up when my wheelchair broke..." A stranger carried it from Ireland to Australia... "Thanks to that person, I achieved my dream"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

With his long-awaited World Cup appearance just around the corner, his wheelchair snapped. There were only two wheelchairs in the world that fit his body. In this desperate situation, a helping hand appeared almost miraculously for the 20th-year-old young man. A complete stranger he had never met in his life protected his dream.

Australia's public broadcaster ABC introduced the special story of Oran Spain (20), an Irish wheelchair rugby league national team representative, on the 3rd (Korean time).

According to the report, Oran suffered an unexpected accident while preparing for the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup held in Wollongong, Australia. The wheelchair he was using broke during training.

The problem was that Oran's wheelchair was specially made equipment. Oran was much smaller than his teammates on other teams. For this reason, he could not borrow and use his teammates' wheelchairs.

There were only two wheelchairs in the world that fit Oran's body. One of them broke, and the remaining one was located in Ireland, Oran's homeland, on the opposite side of the globe.

It was a desperate situation where he might have to give up participating in the World Cup. Wheelchairs used in wheelchair rugby league are not only made to fit the player's body type but are also designed to withstand high speeds and strong collisions during games.

Generally, the price of a game wheelchair is around 4,000 to 9,000 Australian dollars (approximately 3.8 million to 8.5 million won). The media explained, "The wheelchair used by Bailey McKeena, captain of the Australian Wheelchair Rugby League national team, reaches 15,000 Australian dollars (approximately 14 million won)."

Oran's wheelchair was also highly specialized equipment. The wheels were tilted, and the front collision-prevention bar was made round.

Oran's family also tried to repair the broken wheelchair by welding it. However, there was a risk that it would break again if subjected to strong impact during a game. Ultimately, they decided not to use the repaired wheelchair.

Oran's mother, Susan Spain, recalled, "Just looking at the desperate expression on Oran's face when the wheelchair broke, you could tell that this was not an issue that could be easily resolved."

But he could not give up. Oran and his family began searching for a way to somehow bring the backup wheelchair in Ireland to Sydney.

In particular, Oran's uncle, Austin Smith, even called Irish state-owned public broadcaster RTÉ Radio to ask for help. This was to find someone among travelers heading to Sydney, Australia who would transport the wheelchair on his behalf.

Amazingly, a miraculous event occurred. At the time, Irish tourist Deirdre Donohue, who happened to be listening to the radio, came across the story and directly stepped forward to offer help.

According to the report, Donohue had originally planned her trip to Australia to meet a friend she had not seen for 10 years. She happened to hear this broadcast on Friday and was scheduled to depart for Australia two days later, on Sunday.

Donohue stated, "At first, I thought, 'Is this story about me? Did I mishear it?' So I contacted them directly to find out if I could help."

She continued, "The wheelchair was automatically transferred onto every connecting flight. There was no great difficulty in bringing it over," and added, "I felt it was something that had to be done because I could help someone."

Thanks to this, the wheelchair safely arrived at Sydney International Airport in Australia on the day of the World Cup match against Wales. Oran and his mother Susan went directly to the airport to meet Donohue and received the precious wheelchair.

Oran could not hide his emotion. He rejoiced, "It is truly amazing. Thanks to this wheelchair, I have gained the opportunity to compete again."

He continued, "I have worked hard for the past four years to be selected for the World Cup national team. In summer, I flew to Wigan, England every week to play in matches," and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thanks to Donohue, I got the chance to achieve that dream."

For Oran, being a national team player was a dream he had held onto since childhood. He was diagnosed with XLP, a rare genetic immunodeficiency disease that could threaten his life, at the age of two. Even after becoming a wheelchair user, he did not give up his passion for sports.

Oran looked back, saying, "When I was young, I wanted to participate in able-bodied rugby matches. My only goal was to play representing my country."

He continued, "While using a wheelchair changed that goal a little, I do not want to exchange the current path for anything else," and said, "Wearing the green uniform of the Irish national team is an amazing thing."

Oran's mother, who is also the manager of the Irish national team, was moved that her son had gained the opportunity to compete in the World Cup again.

Susan stated, "It is a big deal that Oran can compete on the stage he has been training for all this time. Our whole family has worked together for years."

Fortunately, thanks to the help of a stranger traveler, Oran gained the opportunity to stand on the court again.

Previously, Oran was unable to participate in the first World Cup match against the United States due to the wheelchair damage. At that time, Ireland crushed the United States 110-10.

However, with the safe arrival of the backup wheelchair, Oran completed his preparations to join his teammates again ahead of the match against Wales on the 3rd. Ireland won this match 68-28.

Oran's family also conveyed their gratitude to Donohue with a special gift. They handed over match tickets, an official Irish national team polo shirt, a hat, and a commemorative pennant.

Donohue added a visit to Wollongong to her current Australia trip schedule and decided to watch the Irish national team's match in person.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original