Update: 20/08/2020

Hi all,

Hope everyone is healthy and well, in what has been a challenging 5/6 months or so!

Just wanted to provide a quick update; Dad is now back working hard at Neurokinex 3 times a week after a lengthily interruption. The rehab centre was closed throughout lockdown and has reopened to only a limited amount of users, who have been lucky enough to be selected to take part in a UCLA clinical trial.

The trial itself involves electrical stimulation pads being placed on Dad’s neck whilst exercising. This is a new type of technology being trialled and seems to be a more effective and less intrusive alternative, to some of the other methods used for stimulation of the spinal cord. The hope is that the stimulation and continued rehab, will help Dad regain and increase functionality of his legs and other parts of his body like his hands. These trials will take part over 52 weeks and is going well so far.

Although lockdown was incredibly challenging, in true Dad fashion, he didn’t let it keep him down. Not being able to leave home and with no access to Neurokinex, he was determined that he wouldn’t it be an excuse to let the hard work stop. So we found a handbike online (similar to the one used at Stanmore) which Dad was able to trial for a few months before deciding if he wanted to buy it. Safe to say, he got to know the handbike pretty well and was smashing out sessions every single day, constantly pushing to break his own personal best records. After a few months of that, we found a Concept2 SkiErg machine online (this is a machine Dad uses at Neurokinex) which meant he could change up his sessions from home. We tracked all his sessions on Strava which you can follow here - https://www.strava.com/athletes/5693877

Dad was motivated to make sure that lockdown didn’t hinder his progress and with the work he put in from home, results showed that his cardio and certain aspects of strength had increased by more than 20%, so he was feeling fitter and stronger by the time he returned to Neurokinex!

Finally, we have setup an Instagram account so everyone can track his progress https://instagram.com/pwroad2recovery?igshid=x1q46cdf75um so please get following !

Thanks again to everyone who has shown support, it means so much to us and we are so incredibly grateful.

Louis & Family

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Update: 04/09/19

Hi all, we wanted to take the opportunity to post an update on Dad’s wellbeing and share with you his continued progress, that he has made over the last 5/6 weeks since arriving back home after leaving Stanmore National Orthopaedic Hospital.

After what felt like years away from home, Dad was finally discharged from Stanmore on July 19th, exactly 6 months to the day of his accident and injury. I think it’s safe to say that we were all absolutely over the moon to get him back where he belongs.

After a few moved discharge dates initially we were feeling frustrated, but determined and incredibly eager to get Dad home. In order to do so, we needed to meet certain care requirements/criteria to ensure that everything was safe for Dad’s return home. This involved having the correct equipment such as; a moveable bed, hoist, adapted car and many other small bits, but most importantly a full time P.A would come and live at home to help Dad in and out of bed safely and to provide any further assistance when necessary. So as a result, we have welcomed Kristijan to our home who has been an incredible help and major part of Dad’s continued success and recovery.

We celebrated Dad's return home with a traditional Friday night dinner of fish & chips with a bottle of his favourite red wine, Muga - As you can imagine, this was a real treat for him after 6 months straight of hospital food. On the Sunday we had our first family roast since Christmas accompanied with normal family ‘round the table’ discussion & debates and everyone’s own opinions, but clearly normal service was resumed given dad thinks his is the only one that counts...We were also joined at the table by our newest addition to the family, the first beautiful grandchild Sofia who was born on June 11th.

Coming back home also gave Dad the chance to reunite with his mum, our lovely Nanny White, who we sadly lost this week aged 90. Nan had suffered through the stages of dementia over the last few years and her health declined and took a turn for the worst over the last month. Dementia is an incredibly cruel and de-stabilising disease that we have unfortunately witnessed and experienced first-hand. She was a warm hearted, loving person who will be missed dearly but also remembered for being a proud woman of strength & resilience, which she showed throughout her life and through the many challenges she faced. We know how proud she was of her son and nothing would make her more proud than to see the way Dad has responded and battled through adversity.

After being away from home for so long, there was a long list of things that Dad was keen get done upon his return...Right at the top was to get back to Selhurst Park to watch Palace play. This was made possible as he timed his return to perfection, just a few weeks before the opening game of the season against Everton....which finished in a dull 0-0 draw this however, this didn't dampen the mood for Dad who was just happy to be back at his other "home".

Aside of the obvious pleasures and places he had missed, Dad has found joy in the things he hadn't in the past, even just simple things like doing the weekly shop at Tesco with Mum or wandering around the Glades or Bluewater. Regaining some independence and freedom has been huge for Dad and there is still a lot more to fight for in the coming months.

Returning home has felt like an important milestone of this journey and the start of the next chapter and phase of rehabilitation for Dad, for which we have been exploring and researching a number of different avenues as mentioned previously. After visits to a number of different hospitals and rehabilitation centres we decided to take up a referral from the NHS to NeuroKinex, where Dad has now had several sessions. N.K is a Neuroscientific rehab centre that stay up to date with the latest breakthroughs in neurological rehabilitation and provide high quality care with some of the most innovative equipment and treatment available.

He has made really impressive and visible progress in such a short period of time during multiple weekly sessions at NeuroKinex. He has been pushing himself to the very limit working on his core strength, which is absolutely fundamental to his recovery. We have seen remarkable progress in the strength and muscle in Dad's arms which is also extremely promising and key to regaining independence. Outside of the hardwork at NeuroKinex, he has been accessing the services of both the community OT and Physio and dedicated support from family friend and amazing physio Sam Quinton, who has been helping regularly after a full days work, which we are beyond grateful for.

Looking forward, the plan is to continue the hard work already started at NeuroKinex but beyond this, Dad still plans to spend some weeks at Hobbs Neuro Rehabilitation Centre in October to test different methods and equipment. We have also continued exploring into the art of the possible using innovative medical trials and research, for example the possibility of nerve transfers (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48868670 - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/04/pioneering-surgery-brings-movement-back-to-paralysed-hands ).

We want to once again just acknowledge and thank you all of your incredibly generous support. From family, friends near and far, colleagues and the people we have never met who have been moved by our story. Dad's commitment and desire remains as strong as ever and the continued progress just validates our day 1 beliefs. We look forward to seeing you all and sharing further updates in the near future.

Thank you

Louis & Family

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UPDATE 31/05/19:

We have now arrived in a soaking wet and windy Scotland, after what has felt like an incredibly long journey. Although having travelled 528.2 miles so far, our journey has just begun. In the morning we take on Ben Nevis, the 1st of the 3 peaks.

As we draw closer to the challenge and settle down in our hotel it has given us a chance to reflect on the last month and provide another brief update.

This week, Dad spent a day visiting Hobbs Rehabilitation centre in Newbury to gain some insight into their specific therapy and to take a look at their facilities. It was a worthwhile trip for Dad but he was advised that he should only attend in 3/4 week stints to optimise his time there. Rather than the 3-6 months we had in mind.

Hobbs will be a great place to continue his recovery but is a centre that is purely focused on the rehab and will not be able to provide the full time care that Dad requires at this stage. This would result in us seeking a full time carer with the relevant skill set which we are currently looking into.

Since Dad’s accident we have been lucky to meet a lot of people along the way and built a network that have been able to share their experience and advice with us - whether that be patients who have suffered similar injuries to Dad, or professionals who specialise in this type of rehabilitation.

This has led us to explore as many options as possible, to ensure we are able to give Dad the greatest chance of recovery - the latest treatment we have become aware of is called Lokomat, which is robot assisted walking therapy. Lokomat has been been a great success in cases helping individuals with spinal cord injuries to walk again. https://www.hocoma.com/solutions/lokomat/ This is available in only 2 locations in the UK which costs roughly around £10k per week but is available across Europe for a slightly cheaper price.

With this in mind we have decided to go for one final push and extend the target to £100k. We have come so far in such a short period of time and been overwhelmed by the continued support - even after surpassing the previous 2 targets, the determination of so many to get Dad back on his feet has been stunning just inspiring for us all.

So please us by sharing our page and raising awareness as we finally embark on our 3 peaks challenge and Dad continues his road to recovery.

Again - Thanks to all that have supported us so far, we are so incredibly grateful for your willingness to help in our time of need.

Louis & Family

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***Update***

I’d like to take the opportunity to show our appreciation and gratitude to everyone that has kindly contributed so far, as we surpassed the £50k target this morning - Just one week after the page went live!

To our friends, family and those of you have never even met us - We have been absolutely blown away by your generosity and completely overwhelmed by your incredible support - we simply, cannot thank you enough. Hitting the £50k mark so soon, is testament to the willingness and enthusiasm shown by all to help - it has been nothing short of amazing and we are extremely grateful.

Your lovely heartfelt messages have had us in tears, they’ve also made us smile, laugh and just reinforced our belief that we have so many of you with us in our corner, backing our Dad on this journey.

He’s always been my hero but looking through messages left here and reading about the positive impact that he has had on so many, throughout the years, has filled us with pride. Thank you so much for all your kind words.

Over the last week, Dad has been working incredibly hard in the gym and been increasing his strength through every session. He has continued to display the fight, determination and positivity that we’ve come to expect from him and we were rewarded on Thursday we welcomed him home for the first time since the accident. Dad was able to pop home for lunch for a few hours and needless to say, it was great to have him home.

After ‘Getting sh*t done’ in true Philip White fashion and smashing the target set, it would only be right to continue in the way of a champion and set the bar even higher. We have therefore increased our target by £25,000 to £75k. Reaching this will ensure that he will get as much time as he possibly needs to make the best recovery he can.

For those of you that have kindly contributed - I believe we can hit our new target by ensuring that everyone who knows Dad, is aware of the challenge . Please could you help by sharing the story and making sure it reaches them.

Louis & Family

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In January this year our Dad, Philip White, was involved in a freak accident at home that left him with a devastating spinal injury. Despite an initial prognosis of being left permanently paralysed from the neck down, our incredible Dad has defied the odds and – through a combination of world-class NHS treatment and his own sheer determination – achieved a near miraculous improvement to his outlook.

There’s a chance, a good chance, that with further intensive therapy in a specialist residential facility after NHS discharge, Philip could make something close to a full recovery.

I and my brothers Oliver and Alex want to do everything we can to give Dad the platform to succeed, helping meet the £3,500 per week cost of rehabilitation over what could be three months or more, along with the significant cost of specialist equipment and adapting Mum and Dad’s house for when he eventually comes home.

Our fundraising begins with The Three Peaks Challenge: Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike (during the night) and Snowden – total of 26 miles and height gain of 3000 metres in under 24 hours. https://www.threepeakschallenge.uk/national-three-peaks-challenge/

We’ll be working hard in the mountains, but our challenge is nothing compared to the journey our Dad is taking right now. If you know the man, you will know he his is giving everything – everything – to beat his condition.

Please help him on the road to recovery by sponsoring us – and please also read Philip’s incredible story, below.

Philip’s Journey

On 19th January 2019, our lives took an unexpected turn when Philip fell from a ladder when attempting to lift some heavy floor tiles. The impact of the tiles landing on his neck area left him with a severe neck injury. After a rapid response from the emergency services, including the Air Ambulance, he was rushed to King’s College hospital, where we spent 10+ incredibly stressful hours on the resuscitation ward awaiting news of his condition.

It was then we learned that Dad had broken his C-5 vertebrae and suffered damage to the spinal cord, due to a loose fragment of the broken vertebrae compressing it. And a broken rib and shoulder, to add insult to injury. His injury was rated as ASIA Grade A – Complete, which signifies the complete absence of all motor and sensory functions. The most significant level of grading. We were given the dreaded news that it would be highly probable that Dad would be permanently paralysed from the neck down leaving him unable to move again. They would need to operate the following morning at St George’s Hospital to fix the break and remove the fragment.

For everyone that knows our Dad, you would be well aware of his second-to-none mental strength coupled with his never-say-die attitude and constant positive outlook on life. After hearing the news of the diagnosis, with his head clamped to a bed with two blocks, he reminded us that he ‘loved a challenge’ and that if there was just a 1% chance of recovery, he would take it. No question. Not that we needed any convincing.

After nearly six hours of successful surgery by the amazing surgeon Florence, a lead consultant working under Prof Marios Papadopoulos on the ISCoPE clinical trial (a new approach to treating spinal injuries) the long road to recovery began…

After a few days Dad was moved to the Neuro Intensive Care Unit where he continued to defy the odds by opening his eyes upon request (whilst under heavy sedation) and avoiding a tracheostomy – which a very high percentage of patients require after this type of surgery. Incredibly, he even managed to lift his right arm from the bed, which was apparently out of the question! By showing huge inner strength and surpassing the professionals’ expectations he was moved to the less critical High Dependency Unit after just one week.

Through his sheer and unquestionable determination, he continued fighting and made remarkable progress during his 9½ week stay at St George’s. Through daily physio sessions working on reconnecting his neuro pathways, occupational therapy sessions and his weighted bicep curls from bed in his spare time and his unbreakable positive mentality, all alongside the amazing care from the nurses on the Neuro ward, he managed to regain movement in his upper body and arms and strengthened his wrists so he can control movement. He was constantly improving and regaining feeling and sensations in parts of his legs, feet and hands, giving himself the best chance possible of full recovery.

Being part of the ISCoPE clinical trial means that Dad was given a spot on the spinal unit at the NHS’s Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore.

It was an emotional time for all, leaving St George’s. Dad left a real impact on the Neuro Ward, spreading positivity, reminding many to “Keep the Faith”, inspiring many others and making friends for life. Most importantly, all of this hard work was showing results.

In his final prognosis before moving to Stanmore, Dad achieved something that only less than 10% of ASIA Grade A Complete patients do. He was downgraded to ASIA B Incomplete, which means his chances of full recovery further increased.

Dad is now working really hard at Stanmore where he has been continuing his rehabilitation for the last few weeks alongside 30 odd patients with similar injuries. It’s one of the best places in the country for this type of rehabilitation and offers great facilities and equipment for him to continue his progress to recovery.

Words cannot explain the gratitude we have for the NHS and their help so far, and while we know he is in the best hands at this time, the end goal for his three-month stay at Stanmore is to best prepare him for life after his stay and to enable him to live independently from home. Which will be in a wheelchair.

But this is by no means the end of the journey, absolutely not. The mission is to carry on, keep progressing and double down on the rehab and in the famous words of the man himself “Get sh*t done!!”

The easy option in life when you get knocked down can be to give in and accept the consequences whatever they may look like, however painful they may be, but luckily that just isn't in this man’s DNA, he is incapable of giving in. You’re left with a choice to either let something define you, or you can choose to use it as your motivation, to drive you forward.

For my Mum, my sister, my brothers and I, our plan is provide him the platform and the absolute greatest chance of making a full recovery. This means getting him a spot in a private rehabilitation centre where he will get the best professional help available to achieve this goal. We believe we have found that in the following places: Hobbs Rehabilitation https://www.hobbsrehabilitation.co.uk/ and NeuroKinex http://neurokinex.org/.

These places have been recommended by specialists who have worked with Dad throughout his journey and also had recommendations from former patients like Ed Jackson who made an incredible recovery after a similar type of injury https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/03/ed-jackson-rugby-interview-everest . The costs for residential rehabilitation care and services in these centres can be up to £3500 per week. This will include 24-hour care, food, accommodation, 17–22 hours a week of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and access to the best services and neuro equipment.

We as a family, will be giving absolutely everything we can to help our rock get to where he needs to and we will be doing everything in our power to raise enough to ensure he gets there. To help support this, we have decided to create some opportunities to raise funds, to help us support him on this journey.

The first we have chosen is the Three Peaks National Challenge where us three brothers, Louis, Oliver and Alex will hike the three highest points in the UK in just 24 hours on June 1st. We will take on Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike (during the night) and finish in Wales on Snowden. A total of 26 miles and height gain of 3000 metres (10,000+ ft) https://www.threepeakschallenge.uk/national-three-peaks-challenge/

After the challenge is completed we will hold an evening event near to home to say thank you to everyone who has helped us on this tough journey and played a part in helping our Dad on his road to recovering. The event will also include fundraising for charities chosen by Dad in recognition of the incredible support he has received by so many dedicated and caring professionals.

Thank you for reading Philip’s story; for your contribution; and for your love and friendship for this extraordinary man.

Louis & Family