Over €100,000 raised to help Irish man walk again

Matt Murphy fractured his C5 vertebrae during a diving accident.

A fundraiser to support the recovery of an Irish man who suffered a spinal cord injury has reached the halfway point. 26-year-old Matt Murphy fractured his C5 vertebrae during a diving accident in Mexico. Thankfully, he underwent surgery which kept his spinal cord in tact. However, he currently has limited function in his arms and no control over his triceps, hands or lower body. After the accident, Matt's friends set up a GoFundMe to help his recovery. In the fundraiser description, Matt's friend Liam describes him as the "most kind, adventurous, fun-loving character". Liam goes on to say that time is "valuable". He writes: "The first 12 months of paralysis are monumental to getting body functions back. In order for Matt to recover we need to adopt a more aggressive treatment regime than is possible in Ireland at this time. We are currently in the process of applying for specialist treatment centres including stem cell, exo-skeleton and bio-electric treatments. "While the family are taking care of his immediate care and adaptations to his home, our aim is to get Matt the best available treatment and eventually back to his feet. At this time we do not have an exact cost as it would depend on the treatment centre but they are normally well in excess of €100,000. " He added: "Matt will never give up hope but we really need your support!! Please consider contributing to this Go Fund Me. Thank you for whatever you can do and we'll keep you up to date with Matt's progress." Since the fundraiser first launched, over €100,000 has been raised. Taking to the event's page to thank supporters, Liam wrote: "Thank you so much for your donations. We have been blown away by your support." The fundraiser for Matt can be accessed right here.