At some point over his 30 years of playing rugby for several Welsh clubs and for Wales Sevens, Pook suffered a brain haemorrhage.
He knows this because it was discovered during an assessment.
Neurological tests showed Pook had post-concussion syndrome and disrupted emotional circuitry.
He said it explained his severe bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts.
“Traumatic brain injury or concussion can significantly impact somebody’s emotional regulation and can cause depression, conditions like dementia and motor neurone disease,” explained Lauren Vickery, a psychotherapist at Sporting Chance, external.
Pook is now part of the class-action lawsuit that more than 1,100 former rugby players are taking against the sport’s governing bodies.
They allege the governing bodies were negligent in failing to take reasonable action to protect them from serious brain injuries. The governing bodies deny any liability.
Yet Pook still has a love for rugby and believes the sport can save lives.
“We didn’t know about significant concussion back then, we just brushed it off,” he said. “I hope it would never happen today, because the rules have changed.”
For the past eight months Pook has been having therapy with Vickery and says his progress has been “miraculous”.
Therapy has prompted Pook to found Tackle Suicide CIC, a non-profit organisation which campaigns for suicide prevention, raises awareness of mental health in elite rugby and fundraises for amateur rugby players in need of counselling.
Pook will make another visit to the sea this weekend after Scotland’s match against Italy in Rome and England’s game with Wales at Twickenham.
