‘Listen, you’re lucky we didn’t bury you in a week’, were the first words Steven Kitshoff heard from the specialist when he woke up after neck fusion surgery last month.
The Springboks and Stormers prop injured his neck while playing for Western Province in a Currie Cup match against Griquas in Kimberley and told Afrikaans newspaper Rapport at the weekend: “It was just another scrum, then three cracking sounds – pop, pop, pop.
“I played on, thinking it was a muscle strain…
“Today I know, I was two millimetres from a catastrophe, from my death.”
Loosehead prop Kitshoff adds: “The first thing the specialist said to me was: ‘Listen, you’re lucky we didn’t bury you in a week’.
“Because the vertebra that shifted is so close to my brain canal.
“Without the operation, I’d never play rugby again.”
Kitshoff, 32, has played 83 Test matches for South Africa to date and is hellbent on adding to those and will see a specialist in the new year to assess his chances of making a comeback.
Soon after having his neck surgery, reports on social media suggested that a family members let it slip that one of Cape Town’s favourite sons will no longer be able to play rugby.
But Kitshoff denied this, writing on his Instagram page: “Thrilled to share that my operation was a big success! A massive thank you to my incredible doctors and nurses for their amazing care, and to all my family, friends and loyal supporters...
“It’s going to be a long recovery journey, but I’m excited for the future ahead. Please trust me for updates on my progress and don’t believe any other sources.
“Here’s to healing.”