Dragons fullback Cody Ramsey played his first official game of rugby league over the weekend after being sidelined for more than two years with a horrific bowel disease that saw him lose 28 kilograms.
On Sunday, the returning speedster put in an outstanding performance on both sides of the ball for the Red V in their President’s Cup season opener against Canterbury.
In 2022, the young gun was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and told by doctors that he would never play professional footy again.
It was during pre-season training that he knew something was up with his body.
‘I knew something was wrong because I’m fairly fit and I prepare for myself for the pre-season,’ he told SEN League on Sunday evening.
‘I was at the back of the pack when we were doing running – everyone knew something was wrong.
Cody Ramsey played his first official game of rugby league over the weekend after being sidelined for more than two years with a shocking illness
Ramsey was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in 2022 and had feared that he would never play rugby league again
‘I’m always at the front.’
Within the week Ramsey was in hospital and undergoing multiple surgeries.
His fiancée Tahlia, who was pregnant with their eldest daughter Mia, selflessly supported him throughout the ordeal, sleeping in a hospital chair beside his bed as he went through treatment.
Ramsey spent seven months in a hospital bed while returning to play footy again was ‘out of the question’.
The road back has been long for Ramsey, who is now back closer to his playing weight.
‘I’m 80kgs now,’ he said.
‘I’ve reintroduced every food I’ve eaten into my new stomach. At the start my stomach rejected everything – so I’ve had to retrain it to take everything in.
‘I know now exactly what to eat and what to drink to get through a three hour session.’
Ramsey (pictured on Sunday) says he now treats every game like it might be his last
Going into Sunday’s match against the Bulldogs, Ramsey says he’s now extremely grateful to be doing what he loves.
‘I treat all my training sessions, and every game I play, like it’s my last,’ he said.
‘I’m just happy. I’m not nervous. I’m just happy to be out there…
‘Even to go through the gates at the Dragons, I’m so stoked.’
Ramsey has big ambitions to make it back into the NRL this year.
‘I just put a lot of effort in – and enough effort obviously leads to good things,’ he said.
‘This whole pre-season I’ve just put my head down and tried to do the right thing and just train hard.’