После паралича из-за травмы на лыжах шотландец нашел новую страсть в бридже

A DAD-OF-THREE who was paralysed from the chest down following a devastating skiing accident has rediscovered his competitive spirit. Stewart Mackay broke his back in a freak collision with another skier on the slopes in Austria in March 2019. Initially, he believed his injuries were so severe that he would never walk – or enjoy the active life that had always defined him – again. The former Scotland under-18 rugby international, keen golfer and successful wealth manager was airlifted to hospital in Innsbruck before spending almost six months in rehabilitation at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after being paralysed from the chest down. Looking back on the accident six years later, Stewart, 60 – who woke up in the helicopter struggling to breathe – still vividly remembers his horror at seeing the X-rays for the first time. Originally from Longniddry, he said: “In hospital immediately after the crash, I naively told my skiing buddies I’d be back on the slopes in a few days – I was unaware at how serious it was. “That all changed as soon as I saw the x-rays. “I looked at them and thought: 'Game over.’ "My back had broken at almost 90 degrees – it was horrendous. “I genuinely thought I'd never have any sort of life again." The accident changed almost everything for Stewart, who still does not know who collided with him, with simple jobs, such as making the bed, washing the car or working in the garden, suddenly becoming impossible. Days that had once been built around rugby, golf, skiing and travel became dominated by rehabilitation, planning and learning how to navigate everyday life in a wheelchair. "You can't just decide to jump in the car and disappear for the weekend anymore," he said. "Everything has to be planned. “It changed everything.” His determination saw Stewart, who now lives in Edinburgh, try new activities, including wheelchair curling, and also return to the golf course – where he was a former scratch player, and now plays regularly despite having to relearn his swing one-handed. Incredibly, he still plays to an 18 handicap. But it was another sport, bridge, that unexpectedly became central to his recovery. Before the accident, Stewart, who is a member at The Renaissance Club, and his wife Clare had played casually with friends around the kitchen table. But after the accident, while Stewart was still in hospital, a group of friends – Robin Balfour, John Gunn, Greg Cooper, Donald Wright, Simon Ross and Rob Waugh – travelled through to Glasgow carrying pizzas and a pack of cards, and his interest in the strategic and highly competitive game began to develop further. "They’d travel through in threes, and we'd sit and play bridge," he said. "It gave me something completely normal to look forward to and, as well as the game, it was about spending quality time with my pals. “They were better players, however, and I knew I had to try and change that.” Determined to improve, he threw himself into lessons, joined bridge clubs, began practising online every day and started playing several times a week. Today, he spends about half an hour each day studying the game, as well as playing four to five hours per week with Clare and friends, and has even begun taking bridge holidays. He said: "Would you go skiing without lessons? So why would you play bridge without them? "Golf eventually levels out, tennis levels out, but bridge never does – you can always improve, you can always get better.” Although he jokes that he has finally caught up with Clare's standard, Stewart says the game has become about much more than winning. It has introduced him to a new community, created lasting friendships and given him another reason to keep learning. He said: "Ten years ago, if you'd told me I'd be playing bridge twice a week, I'd have laughed. “Now I absolutely love it. "It's incredibly social, you meet brilliant people, you're constantly learning and you never stop improving. “I only wish I'd started years earlier. “If I'd started playing bridge when I was 30, I'd probably be playing for Scotland!" To find out more about playing bridge in Scotland, visit scottishbridge.org