RTE star opens up on paralysis fears following rare diagnosis
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RTE's George Lee has opened up about his harrowing experience with a rare spinal condition that he feared might leave him permanently paralysed.
The Environmental Correspondent shared his ordeal of being wheelchair-bound in 2022 after being diagnosed with Cauda Equina Syndrome, a serious condition where nerve roots at the base of the spine are squeezed or damaged, causing intense back pain, sciatic leg pain, numbness around the anus, and crucially, loss of bowel and bladder function. Urgent medical treatment is essential to avoid lasting harm, including paralysis, reports the Irish Mirror.
Speaking to the RTE Guide, George recounted: "I was in a wheelchair for those couple of days, thinking, this is going to be my life from now on," reflecting on the moment following his diagnosis. "It was the strangest thing ever."
At 62, George feared he would never bounce back from the illness. He reflected on his recovery journey, saying: "I did read at the time of my illness that many people don't get out very well, so lucky, lucky me. But you go on a journey when something like that happens. First, you think 'Will I recover?'
"Second, you think 'What will it be like if I don't recover?' Will someone be changing my nappies for the rest of my life? I believe if the timing was different and the RTÉ redundancy package was available then as it is now, I'd have taken it. But my priorities have shifted again."
George also opened up on the absence of his late friend, Charlie Bird. Their friendship dates back to the late 1990s following their collaboration on the National Irish Bank investigation – a seminal moment for both George and Charlie, who passed away in March 2024.
"I think about Charlie very often," George expressed. "It all happened so quickly for him, so terribly sad and showing how transient health and life is. I do miss him."
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