On 24th August 2021 I will be spending 24hrs in Police Custody to help raise funds for 2 charities that are close to mine and my families hearts. I will be raising funds for Gosset Ward (Northampton General Hospital) for my daughter and Stoke Mandeville Hospital for my brother. Please see my other page if you are wishing to donate to both :-).

(Michael is the one with my daughter on his lap-the one in pink! And I’m in the other wheelchair with my son after a game of rugby)

In October 2019 i received the call from my mum to say that my brother Michael had been involved in an accident at work and had been taken to Coventry Hospital. 

Michael had fallen through a barn roof onto concrete. The news was obviously a shock but none of us knew how minor or serious his condition was. I remember when we were all there when Michael was told by the doctor that it was bad news.... at that moment I didn’t hear anything else that the doctor said because I knew what he meant and so did Michael. As a Brother I felt powerless to say/do anything that could make things any better for him. The news Michael had received was life changing.... he was told he would never walk again! That’s something that I struggled to process so I can’t begin to imagine how Michael felt!

Michael spent a few months at Coventry before being transferred to Stoke Mandeville hospital who specialise in people with spinal injuries.

Whilst at Stoke Mandeville, Michael received treatment/care that was second to none! He threw himself into everything they had to offer and really focused on making the most of his time there ready to prepare himself for his return home. I would visit him once a week and can say I was so impressed with the staff and facilities at Stoke Mandeville and was fortunate enough to be allowed to participate in a game of wheelchair rugby with Michael and his friends which was awesome! and would therefore like to do my bit to say thank you! 

Michael was released from Stoke Mandeville just before the country went into lockdown. Whilst I know he has certainly had some dark days since leaving the hospital, I’m sure that without the support from Stoke Mandeville then he certainly wouldn’t  be as positive as he is now. He still has a long road ahead but never seizes to amaze us all and although I certainly don’t tell him to his face.... we are proud of him! 

I hope nobody has to go through what Michael has been through and what we have been through as a family. There is nothing that can ever prepare you for events like that but we are fortunate to have such amazing people/facilities that are there if they are needed. 

Paralysis is a fact of life for the 40,000 people living with spinal cord injury, and it can happen to anyone. For the majority of people, being unable to walk is just another challenge to add to the many other difficulties they face on a daily basis. Pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections and pain are all a daily threat to quality of life, making it hard to 'get on with life'. SMSR is tackling these day to day challenges through research to ensure that individual's with spinal cord injury have the best quality of life possible.