Province hooker returns home
Du Plessis – who turned 20 in February – collapsed on the field during the a provincial Under-21 encounter between WP and the Leopards on Saturday, September 5; his heart stopped and he stopped breathing. He was immediately attended to by the Western Province U21 medical team and, together with paramedics, he was resuscitated on the field and further stabilised in the stadium medical room by the stadium specialists.
Du Plessis spent two weeks in Vincent Pallotti Hospital after the incident, where he came off the ventilator on September 7, before recently being moved to another hospital where he was discharged on Friday morning.
The cause of Du Plessis' sudden cardiac arrest is still to be determined. At this stage it is believed to be hereditary, but tests and studies are ongoing and a full outcome will be released only once it is 100% certain what caused the incident.
Before his discharge from the hospital on Friday, Du Plessis had an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) inserted. The presence of the device means he will not able to participate in a contact sport – like rugby – in the future, but he will be able to live an active lifestyle and exercise as he pleases once he receives the green light from his specialist.
Daniel's father, Bruce du Plessis, said his son has come to terms with the news of his rugby career being over.
"Daniel will live a healthy, normal life and for that we are all very, very grateful," Bruce du Plessis told the WP website.
"I cannot explain what we have been through as a family since receiving that call, but his recovery since we returned to Cape Town has been nothing short of miraculous.
"We are so relieved that our son has recovered so well and that he has a smile back on his face. Now, of course, we are absolutely delighted and thankful to have him back home."
Bruce and his wife, Janice, attended last Saturday's Currie Cup match between WP and the Pumas at Newlands, which saw them meet with – amongst others – Dr Karen Schwabe of the WP Under-21 team and the amazing paramedic matchday crew, all of whom combined to save Daniel's life.
Bruce was afforded the opportunity of addressing all those those present at the WPRFU Preseidential Suite, including President Thelo Wakefield.
Bruce du Plessis said: "Like I said in the Newlands matchday surgery, how do you say thank you to people who have saved your son's life?
"Janice and I will forever be grateful to the WP Rugby medical and fitness teams, the opposition's medical and fitness teams, the paramedic crew… everyone. Since the incident, we have received so much love and care from within the rugby fraternity – some of whom we have not even met – and I just want to say thank you each and every person who, in some way, has contributed to our son's recovery."
WP Under-21 team doctor, Dr Schwabe, who was part of the team that treated Daniel on the field, said: "This is a very, very rare incident in professional sport. But it is even more rare to have a successful outcome of such an incident which is normally catastrophic and/or fatal."
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