Mark Polluck

Yesterday as our lecture for the day we had guest speaker Mark Polluck come in and talk about his story.

Mark pollock is blind and paralysed from the waist down, he wasnt always blind or paralysed. Before this happened he lead a normal life in fact he was a student at Trinity College and studied business and economics and alswell he was on the irish rowing team.

Unfortunatley in 1998 Mark lost his sight as his retina detatched. He stopped rowing and going to college, he thought his life was over. After a couple of months mark got back up on his feet and started giving lectures on his suituation and how to get the strength to over come it.

Mark started training again and over came oppsticles that he wouldnt have done unless he was blind. Mark started his own business and went back to college to do a masters in business studies. He took part in many adventures, raced to the south pole and came 5th he also did six marathons in the Koby desert in seven days.

In 2010 Mark had an acident, while attending a rowing regatta he fell off a two story balcony and fell to the ground. Mark seriously injured himself, when people found him they had to start his breathing again. When he got to the hospital the nurses thought he was going to die. His skull was fractured, he was bleeding in his brain, broken ribs and his lungs were filled with blood. He was on morphine 24/7 for weeks on end. When he finally regained conciousness he realised he was paralysed from the waist down, this was a tragic time for Mark. He was in intensive care for months, in the end he was in hospital for 18 months. It was very hard for him but from the support of his friends, family and doctors he pulled through it.

Now Mark gives inspiring speaches and lectures to people across the country and tells them about his life story and everything he has achieved and accomplished. Although his life is tough and challenging he takes it in his stride and now is training himself to walk again by various exercises and he can feel an improvment as he is starting to get feeling back in his lower half.