On a Saturday afternoon in October 2008, while supporting his sister at a camogie match, Shane turned to his mother Breda and said he was seeing double. He had visited the doctor earlier that week after suffering from dizziness and migraines but hadn't thought much of it. This, however, seemed more serious and so Shane was sent to A&E at Cork University Hospital. Here, it was discovered that Shane had a brain tumor and surgery would be required to remove it. He fainted when he heard the news. Shane was 19 years of age, had only finished his Leaving Certificate the previous summer and had just started a course in Civil Engineering at CIT. He had always been a very active person. In his own words he "never sat down." Like most men his age, sport was one of his biggest interests and being from Milford hurling was his passion. His love of hurling comes as no surprise when one considers his background - his father Noel and his uncles all hurled at the highest level for Milford and his grandfather Moss single handedly kept the club going for years, so much so that the GAA grounds in Milford are named in his honour, Páirc Mhic Giobúin. When it came to hurling Shane had got used to winning. He had won two North Cork Minor 'A' Hurling Championships in 2006 and 2007 and that summer had won a North Cork U21 medal. Only 19, he had already nailed down his place on the Milford Intermediate hurling team, starting his first championship game while still a minor. Four days after being first diagnosed Shane had his first round of surgery. He recalls this first operation, "the surgery went well but when I first woke up I had no movement down my left side. I then got an injection and thankfully after a few minutes the movement came back." During the operation it had only been possible to remove a portion of the tumor. However, over the next few weeks Shane made a fantastic recovery. He returned to college and eventually even got back hurling again. Even though the tumor was still there and further surgery was always looming in the background, Shane was determined to get back to normal. "I did everything. I went back hurling, became very involved with the club, continued hunting and shooting - I led an active life. It was always in the back of my mind that the tumor was still there but I wouldn't let it hold me back." Shane had to get regular scans every couple of months and despite the fact that the tumor was still growing the neurosurgeon in Cork was hesitant to go ahead with more surgery - especially since Shane had made such a good recovery from the last operation. So over the next few years his neurosurgeons decided that a wait-and-see approach was best. In the meantime, Shane graduated from college in 2013, started a new engineering job in Cork and even managed to get back into another North Cork Hurling Final with Milford. Although he had to give up playing hurling eventually, he continued to be heavily involved with the club serving as club PRO and as a selector with the junior hurling team. Six years after his original surgery in October 2014 Shane met his surgeon in Cork for one of his regular meetings. He remembers the moment when he got the news that "the tumor had got so big that it had come to a point where they were going to offer me a second round of surgery." Shane went home to think about it with his family. He weighed up the pros and cons. "I knew some day this was going to happen. If I didn't get the operation there was a chance that I could be out working one day and the tumor would kick in and bang I'd be dead. If I didn't go for it the tumor would get bigger and something could happen and I'd regret it. Like any brain surgeries there's potential dangers. The risk for this surgery were left side weakness and vision impairment but I had my mind made up." At the next meeting with his surgeon Shane said "let's do it" and the surgeon presented Shane with a list of days that he worked and said "pick your date." Shane decided that he wouldn't do it before the new year. He wanted to enjoy Christmas at home and so he picked January 28th 2015 and put it to the back of his mind for a while. When he woke up after his surgery on the 28th he was dazed and disorientated. He can't remember anything about the following week. He was informed the surgery had been a success and 95% of the tumor had been removed. However, something wasn't right. He remembers reaching out with his left hand to grab something but nothing happened. "There was no movement at all on my left side. I was shocked." Despite this he remained positive. "After 10 days I got a fraction of movement in my leg and when I was able to lift my leg off the bed it was then I knew - I will walk again. There was going to be a long road ahead but I would get there." It was then that physiotherapy in CUH began. He would have to learn to walk again. He spent 9 weeks in a wheelchair in CUH before he took his first assisted steps. Eventually he was able to walk short distances with the help of a crutch and an ankle brace but because there is so little movement in his left arm and the fact that his left leg can't hold much weight it is still a struggle. After a long time on the waiting list Shane eventually got called to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire on the 12th May 2015 where he is now. For a man who never used to sit down Shane has found it difficult to adjust to his new lifestyle, much of which is spent in bed or in a wheelchair. Though it brings him great enjoyment to go to Milford games and watch from the side line there is a hint of regret that he'll never be able to line out on the field with his friends again. As always though he remains positive - "there is no point in looking back. There will be no more surgery. You have to look forward. You learn to appreciate life - things that other people take for granted." He's thankful for his family, his parents Breda and Noel and his sisters Sarah and Áine, whom he feels have helped him so much. "My parents are my linchpin and I would have been lost in Cork without Sarah." Now he sets himself goals. He wants to be able to walk unassisted again, to be able to use his left arm again and to get back to an active life. His ultimate goal is to get fit enough to be able to get back to work. He says it's going to be a battle but he's going to win. Luckily Shane already knows a thing or two about winning