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An emotional Cody Ramsey has revealed how a joke from a doctor and brutal four-kilometre road run hours after leaving hospital convinced him he could one day return to the NRL.<\/p>\n
Ramsey on Saturday night completed the most inspirational comeback of this decade, overcoming a battle with ulcerative colitis to make it back to the top grade.<\/p>\n
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Cody Ramsey leaves the field after his comeback game on Saturday night.NRL Photos<\/p>\n
Called onto the Sydney Roosters\u2019 wing to replace Mark Nawaqanitawase in the 38-24 win over Brisbane, Ramsey hailed his return as \u201cway better\u201d than any debut.<\/p>\n
During an agonising 1337 days between NRL games, the winger spent seven months in a hospital bed, lost 27kg and had to learn to eat again. He had his large bowel removed, had to go to the toilet 40 times a day, at one stage fearing it had made his life \u201cunlivable\u201d.<\/p>\n
At times Ramsey asked doctors to put him into an induced coma so he could no longer feel the pain, while also dealing with the risk of life-threatening sepsis infections.<\/p>\n
An ever-growing family with his partner Tahlia and rugby league remained a beacon of hope, despite the 26-year-old being told by doctors he would never play again. But his outlook changed when a surgeon at Chris O\u2019Brien Lifehouse jokingly asked him to go easy on his Wests Tigers upon his return.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was the one cutting me open, doing the reversals,\u201d Ramsey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I was like, \u2018If he thinks I\u2019m going to do it, then it\u2019s only up to me. If I can get myself back and myself right and do the right things, then why can\u2019t I do it?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you see a 62kg human being walking around saying he\u2019s going to go play NRL again, it\u2019s very easy not to believe him. But I did. My family did.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could easily not have done it, but I\u2019ve got to live inside my own head for the rest of my life if I didn\u2019t give it a go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramsey wasted little time in trying to push his cause, at one point tested himself just hours after leaving hospital from one of several operations.<\/p>\n
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Ramsey and Broncos star Reece Walsh shake hands.Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d checked out of hospital, and I just said to my missus, I\u2019m just going to run [four kilometres] to dad\u2019s house,\u201d the Molong product recalled. \u201cAnd if I don\u2019t do it, I\u2019ll never make it back into football.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a wound on my stomach, my phone in my hand in case something went wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember as I was running down Dapto Highway, I was 62 kilos. It honestly took me forever. It nearly killed me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut once I\u2019d done it, I was like, I can do it. This condition, it\u2019s so mental. It\u2019s all in your head.\u201d<\/p>\n
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