England and Harlequins lock was 24 hours away from having her legs amputated after contracting meningitis; Galligan recovered but suffered career-threatening ankle injury months later; 23-year-old was recalled to England squad for Six Nations last month and has one eye on World Cup spot
By Vicki Hodges
Last Updated: 22/04/22 11:03am
Rosie Galligan in action for England during the Six Nations contest with Wales
It was the Oreo waffle and ice cream that team-mate Poppy Cleall had delivered to the hospital, and the McDonalds treat from her dad kindly handed over by a nurse dressed head-to-toe in protective equipment, that helped in some small way to lift Rosie Galligan’s spirits back in September 2019.
Isolated in her room, Galligan was still processing how her life had been turned upside down in a matter of days. After starting vomiting and losing all strength in her legs one evening, the England and Harlequins lock’s condition spiralled. By the morning she was blue-lighted to A&E and swiftly diagnosed with meningitis.”I was put into my own room, in quarantine, because of how contagious it can be,” Galligan told Sky Sports. “I can’t fault the NHS. They basically saved my life. They said if I came in one day later, I could’ve been amputated from the waist down. It’s just a bizarre feeling that now I’m sitting here with no long term conditions from it. I feel very grateful.” The messages of support were a great source of warmth to Galligan and, after 11 days in hospital, she was discharged. Yet little under four months later she would be having emergency treatment again – this time for a career-threatening injury sustained on the rugby pitch.Galligan had played three matches as she continued to build her recovery when she fell in a line-out during a Premier 15s match against Worcester. The injuries were extensive. As well as shattering her ankle bone, she fractured a bone in her leg and ruptured three ligam …