Overview

Phil Quinlan was a sports-mad fifteen year old when he packed his bag one Sunday morning in 1989 to play a game of football. A clash of heads on the pitch changed his life forever. Falling into a coma, he was given a twenty-five-percent chance to live. He regained consciousness six weeks later, waking to a world filled with pain. Full of hope and humour, rage and despair, this is Phil’s story of chronic pain and rehabilitation, travelling the globe and finding love. A hugely inspirational tale of determination to overcome the results of a devastating injury.

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9781788493222

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Reviews

An extraordinary memoir -- Paul Howard Phil is a true inspiration to anyone suffering from brain injuries. -- Steve Thompson, Rugby World Cup winner heartbreaking and heart-warming. It’s devastatingly honest and at the same time entertaining and engaging, a tale worth reading -- Marie Crowe, RTE Sport a must read and such a powerful book. Phil’s own personal story shines a much needed light on brain injury in sport and how one’s life can change forever in one moment, one second -- Chris Sutton, BBC Sport & retired football player and manager an exceptional book. Superbly written and constructed by @steveohrourke, it's the most originally put together autobiography I've seen in years. Incredible candour and insight from @philquinlan. It's a tough but wonderful read -- Michael Foley hard to put down. Such a moving, inspiring, and honest story of rehabilitation and love -- Tadhg Coakley powerful, emotional, and immensely readable -- Sports Book Reviews Navan man Phil’s story is woven with perspectives from others, family relatives and friends, so the narrative is non-linear, keeping the reader engaged throughout. Steve O’Rourke, as ghost writer, has captured the consistency in Quinlan’s voice and sense of humour that is persistent and authentic … This is a highly recommended, life-affirming story of a giant among men -- Westmeath Examiner, Meath Chronicle, Anglo Celt, Offaly Independent compelling … inspirational -- Irish Independent Quinlan spent plenty of time being miserable. He spent plenty of time being bitter. He doesn’t have the time or inclination for any of that these days - married, with two kids, working with special needs students, whatever he has far too much present going on to spend any time stewing on the past. But he has always wanted to write about it, to piece together what happened then and since -- Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times

heartbreaking and heart-warming. It's devastatingly honest and at the same time entertaining and engaging, a tale worth reading -- Marie Crowe, RTE Sport a must read and such a powerful book. Phil's own personal story shines a much needed light on brain injury in sport and how one's life can change forever in one moment, one second -- Chris Sutton, BBC Sport & retired football player and manager

An extraordinary memoir -- Paul Howard Phil is a true inspiration to anyone suffering from brain injuries. -- Steve Thompson, Rugby World Cup winner heartbreaking and heart-warming. It’s devastatingly honest and at the same time entertaining and engaging, a tale worth reading -- Marie Crowe, RTE Sport a must read and such a powerful book. Phil’s own personal story shines a much needed light on brain injury in sport and how one’s life can change forever in one moment, one second -- Chris Sutton, BBC Sport & retired football player and manager an exceptional book. Superbly written and constructed by @steveohrourke, it's the most originally put together autobiography I've seen in years. Incredible candour and insight from @philquinlan. It's a tough but wonderful read -- Michael Foley hard to put down. Such a moving, inspiring, and honest story of rehabilitation and love -- Tadhg Coakley powerful, emotional, and immensely readable -- Sports Book Reviews Navan man Phil’s story is woven with perspectives from others, family relatives and friends, so the narrative is non-linear, keeping the reader engaged throughout. Steve O’Rourke, as ghost writer, has captured the consistency in Quinlan’s voice and sense of humour that is persistent and authentic … This is a highly recommended, life-affirming story of a giant among men -- Westmeath Examiner, Meath Chronicle, Anglo Celt, Offaly Independent

An extraordinary memoir -- Paul Howard Phil is a true inspiration to anyone suffering from brain injuries. -- Steve Thompson, Rugby World Cup winner heartbreaking and heart-warming. It's devastatingly honest and at the same time entertaining and engaging, a tale worth reading -- Marie Crowe, RTE Sport a must read and such a powerful book. Phil's own personal story shines a much needed light on brain injury in sport and how one's life can change forever in one moment, one second -- Chris Sutton, BBC Sport & retired football player and manager an exceptional book. Superbly written and constructed by @steveohrourke, it's the most originally put together autobiography I've seen in years. Incredible candour and insight from @philquinlan. It's a tough but wonderful read -- Michael Foley hard to put down. Such a moving, inspiring, and honest story of rehabilitation and love -- Tadhg Coakley powerful, emotional, and immensely readable -- Sports Book Reviews

Author Information

Phil Quinlan played every sport on TV and represented his county in cross-country twice, but his life was suddenly and irreparably changed by a clash of heads playing football. Having defied the 25% chance of living odds, living with a disability, travelling the globe, finding love, Phil hopes his story is an inspirational one. Through all the hurt, rage and rehabilitation, trials and tribulations, he's living the dream now… Steve O'Rourke is a writer and former journalist. With bylines in Hot Press, The42, and ESPN, he has interviewed musicians, politicians, and Olympians. Once Ireland's only full-time NFL journalist, he has always believed that sport produces the best human-interest stories and dedicated his career to bringing those stories to life. He currently lives in Dublin with his wife and two children, and works in advertising. Paul Howard helps Ross O'Carroll-Kelly to write his autobiographical series, largely because Ross can't really write, roysh? Find out more at rossocarrollkelly.com. He is also the author of the bestselling prison expose, The Joy, and co-author of Celtic Warrior, the autobiography of boxer Steve Collins. A former Sports Journalist of the Year, Paul covered the World Cup in Japan and Korea in 2002, and the rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003. His account of the Irish soccer squad and the notorious drama in Saipan, The Gaffers: Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and the Team they Built, was a bestseller. Paul has also written several massively popular plays and has won the popular fiction prize at the Irish Book Awards three times for books in the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series.

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