Despite having an accident 15 weeks ago which left him in a wheelchair, 33-year-old Keith Boyle from North Dublin has remained incredibly positive about his future.
He credits his physiotherapist with helping him through this time, and she is now up for an award for her efforts.
Keith explained how the accident happened.
"I was away in Bratislava for work and went walking. It was dark and I misjudged a ledge. I fell 15-20 feet, landed straight on my back and passed out. I woke up the next morning and had no pain, but I couldn't move my legs. I wasn't found for three days."
"I remember thinking of trying to shout for help every two hours. A man walking his dog found me. I remember seeing a face in front of me, about two feet from me. All I remember thinking was, I'm saved now."
Six days later, Keith had surgery in Bratislava. He didn't realise he was paralysed until afterwards.
Despite this experience, he has shown remarkable positivity. He says it's not a conscious decision, but something that comes naturally.
"I don't get up in the morning and decide to be positive. It's more of an immediate necessity. Yes, there's a change and adaptations to be made, but I can't gain anything from lying in bed."
Cathy Keating, Keith's physiotherapist at Beaumont Hospital, has been nominated for the Honour Your Heroes Award for the work she has done with him.
"Cathy's my hero because, within two days of being in Beaumont, we had a plan and I was straight into care. She was someone I could talk to and she was my point of contact for everything," Keith explained.
Cathy was also full of praise for Keith.
"Keith is amazingly positive, and he was like that from the very first day we met. He's just very practical, and he saw himself back in his own life and just thought, how do I need to work with the medical team to get back to my life?"
"I think he had four weeks in Bratislava where he was probably thinking about everything. He turned up to physio every day with a brilliant attitude. I'm sure he had difficult days as well, but I never really saw it."
