I had an accident and broke my collarbone and ribs, but that didn’t stop me from flying to Europe to see Taylor Swift.

• I’m a long time Swiftie and bought tickets to see them in Dublin during the Eras tour.

• However, a few weeks before my departure I had an accident and was seriously injured.

• I was so keen to see her and the doctors gave me the green light. I had a great time.

I’ve been a Swiftie since 2007, so you can imagine my absolute elation when I got my hands on tickets to the Eras tour. When I imagined everything that could go wrong—ticket issues, missed flights, dehydration—none of my scenarios included an ambulance and surgery just weeks before the show.

Taylor’s previous tours have never come to South Africa, where I live, and the Eras tour was no exception, leaving Africa out entirely. However, for the first time, I had the luxury of travelling to Europe to join the tour. My best friend and I decided to get the best tickets we could. We got VIP standing room tickets to her June 30th show in Dublin and couldn’t wait.

Weeks before the concert I was thrown from the horse

At the time of booking, the concert was still almost a year away. A lot could happen – and a lot did. I gave up teaching to devote myself full-time to writing. My girlfriend got pregnant and had her first baby. And then, just weeks before the concert, I was thrown from a galloping horse during what should have been a nice walk. I was left with a broken collarbone, broken ribs, and a huge hematoma in my right hip and thigh.

One of my first clear thoughts in the ambulance, strapped into a neck brace because the paramedics initially feared a fracture of the cervical spine, was that there was no way this tormented poet would make it to the concert. The reality of what these injuries could mean for the rest of my life had not yet sunk in.

Thankfully, angels are Swifties too and miraculously my spine was spared. Within 24 hours I was transferred to Johannesburg where I underwent surgery and was left with a heavy piece of titanium securing my collarbone, which had shattered into three pieces. The hematoma was so painful I couldn’t bear any weight on my right leg. My broken ribs hurt when I took a deep breath or laughed. I had no idea how I was going to “shake it off” and make it to Dublin when I could barely climb the stairs in my house.

I did everything I could to get well again and was given the all-clear.

Despite the pain during those first weeks, my surgeons remained optimistic that I would recover faster than I thought. With each rehabilitation and physical therapy session, I made small progress. As the days went by, my mobility improved. And I was fanatical about doing whatever I could to (safely) speed up my recovery. I had to go to a concert.

Just days before I was due to book my flight, I was given the provisional green light to travel – with caution. To celebrate, I had a last-minute outfit made for me. I wasn’t keen on the unnecessary expense of a bespoke concert outfit beforehand, but when you narrowly avoid a broken neck, you just want to make the most of the day. And this day called for tassels and sequins and some extra fabric to decorate my tote bag.

I was in pain during the concert, but I would do it again

The concert was tough – we queued outside the venue for six hours, straight after a three-hour train ride from Cork to Dublin. Then we watched Paramore for an hour before the three-and-a-half-hour Eras tour started. Painkillers didn’t really help calm my body, which was screaming at me, but it was all worth it.

The rainbow of confetti, the warmth of the fire, the eye contact with a woman whose music has told my life story since I was 14 – I will never forget all of that. During the acoustic set, we didn’t even need to zoom in on our phones, she was that close.

And in those moments I felt invincible.

The Swifties around us were adorable. Throughout the concert, a stranger had me balance a hand on her shoulder while I stood on tiptoes to see Taylor. Even though it was tight, no one shoved me in hopes of getting closer for a better view.

There were moments before the concert when I thought I was crazy to go. Now that it’s over, I would do it again. Taylor can do it with a broken heart – and I did it with broken bones.

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