Sebastian, our inspirational son/brother/friend suffered an horrific accident which left him tetraplegic and with multiple complex medical needs. We are raising money for Seb’s care, to enable him to return home, rebuild his new life and restart his medical studies.

Seb’s story

Before his accident, Seb was extremely active and talented - a cellist, keen rugby player and dedicated third year medical student. In December 2023, at aged 21 years, he suffered a devastating swimming accident whilst on holiday. He dived into shallow waters and hit the bottom with his head, causing permanent damage to his spinal cord at C4/5 level. After local treatment, he was medically evacuated to hospital in the UK.

The C4/C5 spinal injury and subsequent complications means that Seb is now tetraplegic – paralysed from the neck down. He faces significant challenges. He is unable to walk, has no movement in his arms or legs and is reliant on a ventilator for his breathing. The medical prognosis is that any further improvement is highly unlikely. The focus now is adapting to his new ‘normal’, and for his family and friends to learn how to manage his very complex medical condition.

Despite the unimaginable trauma, Seb has retained incredible positivity and is determined to rebuild his life and continue his medical studies. He has much to offer and is committed to repaying the many contributions to his care from medical teams, friends and family, by pursuing his studies and future career.

Funds needed

Unfortunately, the road ahead for Seb is long, tough and expensive. In order to move home, significant house adaptations are required to accommodate a specialist wheelchair; ventilators and other medical equipment; and the 2 permanent carers needed to manage his medical condition. To pursue his studies, he will need specialist support and assistive technology.

The local authority, NHS and other grant funds will contribute to some of the basics such as cost of carers, transportation, the ventilator and other medical equipment. But there are many items not covered which are needed if Seb is to lead a (semi-) independent life. These include:

House adaptations £170,000 (local authority maximum grant offered £60,000)

Specialist wheelchair £40,000 (NHS contribution £11,000)

Physiotherapy (FES) Bike / Physiotherapy £30,000 (required to prevent muscle wastage, bed sores and sepsis)

Assistive technology £10,000

Seb is a young, hardworking man: medical student, rugby player, loyal friend and much-loved son and brother. In a flash his life has changed unimaginably. He is determined to leave hospital and lead a successful, independent life and has much to offer. But he needs funding to facilitate this.

We also hope you will join us on this journey of recovery and discovery – we will post updates here so please revisit to stay up to date.

Please support if you can. Thank you.

Aspire

All donations (in UK via “Just Giving”) will be received by Aspire - a national spinal cord injury charity who will manage the fund. As a charity, Aspire will claim any Gift Aid on our behalf, meaning Gift Aid donations will go further in supporting Sebastian. Aspire will receive a percentage of the total fund, allowing them to continue their vital services in supporting Sebastian, and others.  Should you prefer to make a bank transfer, please contact fundraising@aspire.org.uk for details.