Life hits hard, but few blows land as fiercely as losing the ability to walk.
This is Jason Muldoon.
A father, a husband, and a die-hard Derry GAA supporter. For 45 years, his life was sports. He was a young Gaelic footballer with Ballinderry Shamrocks, winning medals with his cousin Enda. A qualified personal trainer, he took Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to the professional level.
He is, without question, a warrior.
On Saturday, July 1, 2023, while the rest of the county prepared for the All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park, Jason Muldoon lay in the dark, flat on his back. Pain tore through his body. Derry’s game against Cork was the furthest thing from his mind.
“I took painkillers to try and calm it down,” Muldoon says.
“Eventually, I had to be moved upstairs. I stayed there from Saturday until Wednesday. There were complications that were a huge red flag. I was rushed to the hospital that Wednesday where they diagnosed it as Cauda Equina Syndrome.”
Cauda equina syndrome is a rare and severe condition. It crushes the nerves in the lower back, shutting down communication with the rest of the body. Numbness and loss of function follow.
There are 35 discs in the human spine, each with their own label. Cervical (C1-C7), Thoracic (T1-T12), Lumbar (L1-L5), Sacral (S1-S5) and the Coccyx, where four are fused together.
As discs L4 and L5 collapsed around his nerves, Jason Muldoon knew his life was taking a new course.
It wasn’t his first shift in direction.
Laid off during the recession years of the late 2000s, Muldoon turned his passion for MMA into his livelihood. He fought in England and Scotland. He went full-time for two years. He later trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Peter Lavery in Belfast and won the Irish Open title in 2016.
“I still have the medal upstairs,” he says.
He pauses.
“None of that’s going to happen again.”
Since losing the ability to walk unaided, Jason’s mission has become to bring a message to others in the same boat. But it hasn’t been easy.
Two days after entering the hospital, he had spinal surgery. Ten days of recovery in Belfast’s Royal Hospital followed. Then 12 weeks in the Musgrave rehab unit.
“The road home was long,” he says.“
“But once I got there, that was the toughest period. I couldn’t drive and was stuck at home.”
Losing independence is brutal. Getting through it takes support. Jason acknowledges that.
“My wife Lisa was working in Lisburn. She’d drive home, collect me, and we’d go to the gym at Antrim Forum. It’s equipped for disability training,” he says.
“Without Lisa, who knows where I’d be. She, my daughter Aoibheann, and my son Eoghan, alongside my family in Ballinderry, have been my rock.”
Since regaining the ability to drive last November, Jason’s life has been more active than many who are fully able.
“There’s no excuse for not being active,” he declares.
Jason Muldoon wants people to know there’s life after disability.
“I know people in mid-Ulster who are disabled and don’t want to leave the house. But there are sports out there for them.”
Muldoon currently plays basketball for Cookstown BC Werewolves where the league runs from September to April. When the basketball ended earlier this year, he began wheelchair hurling and currently represents Ulster GAA.
“Ulster GAA have been great,” says Muldoon. “I’ve played in four rounds of the National League now and the All-Ireland series starts in September. I’m proud to represent Newbridge, Derry and Ulster.”
He tried out for the Ireland wheelchair rugby team and was selected at trials in Galway. But at 6′2″, the sports chair he had wasn’t suitable. It will cost £6,000 for a new one.
“It has to be done,” he says. “I’m going back in November to take up their offer to join the squad.”
September will be busy with the inter-spinal unit games in Stoke-on-Trent.
“It involves all sorts of sports such as archery, badminton, table tennis and fencing,” he explains.
Jason’s holding a fundraiser at The Elk on Saturday September 14 in order to help with the costs of the new sports wheelchair. He will represent the Musgrave unit with others that he met during his time in rehab.
“Newbridge GAA have been a huge support to me and have pledged support in my fundraising too.”
Jason’s been deeply involved in Derry’s GAA scene. He helped Foreglen to the Derry Intermediate Championship in 2019 as a strength and conditioning coach. Before his condition, he worked with Derry’s U15 football Academy panel. Several players that he worked with went on to All-Ireland minor success last month.
“I loved it and would like to get back to it. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but it’s something I want to explore.”
He’s now training people with disabilities, drawing from his background and new perspective.
“Aaron’s Gym in Cookstown is great for people with disabilities. I’m working with a man with cerebral palsy and an amputee. I enjoy helping people stay fit. No excuses.”
Jason leads by example.
With the Derry club championship underway, he volunteers at Owenbeg, operating a ticket scanner.
“I met a lot of people that way. Some people are still in shock when they meet me. People I haven’t seen in a while and that don’t know my story. I don’t mind talking about it to be honest. It doesn’t bother me.”
Along with Kieran Keenan, twin brother of Derry GAA chairman, John, Jason Muldoon has missed only one Derry game throughout 2024.
“I was in Tralee, Salthill, Croke Park and all over. I drove to Breffni Park for the first game in the McKenna Cup in January and haven’t stopped since. Getting the ability to drive back last November has been a big thing for me.”
As well as sounding a clarion call to disabled people about the opportunities that exist in sport, Jason Muldoon wants greater awareness of spinal conditions.
“If you have persistent back pain over two or three weeks don’t let it lie,” he offers.
“Get it looked about. I probably let it go too far to be honest and the damage is done.
“I still need to be careful around what I do, particularly around picking things up.”
“The way I am now is the way it’s going to be from now on. But I have to be positive and I have to keep going.”
He smiles and finds a silver lining.
“I’m an Arsenal man. I tried for two decades to get membership for tickets. Rejected every time. But I applied for the disabled section and got accepted right away. Only £21 a game for me and my son. Every cloud has a silver lining,” he laughs.
Jason Muldoon chooses to celebrate life, imperfections and all.
Pablo Picasso said, the meaning of life is to find your gift; the purpose of life is to give it away.
Jason found his gift long ago. Despite his disability, his gift remains. He’s just found a new purpose.