Story
Hello. I just wanted to tell you a bit about why I'm fundraising for "The Back-Up Trust".
I used to see wheelchair users all the time, and call me ignorant; but I paid little or no attention to how it affected their everyday life and the challenges that they had to face. That changed about a year ago.
Last March (2010), my boyfriend Luke broke his neck whilst on holiday in Mexico. He suffered a Spinal Cord Injury as a result, which has had a life-changing effect. Luke is now classed as a Tetraplegic. By textbook, this means paralysis of the 4 limbs. And whilst he is extremely lucky to be alive, I’ll try to give you an insight of what it has taken for him to get back on the road to recovery…
The day after the accident, Luke needed an operation to replace the damaged vertebrae. He was then bed-bound in intensive care for a further 10 days before being flown back to the UK by air ambulance and taken to Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where they have a specialist Spinal Injuries Centre. After 4-5 weeks, he managed to get up and about in a wheelchair. The next few months spent in rehabilitation meant a lot of hard work and determination. A strict timetable of activities like physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and psychology classes left him exhausted, but with hope for the future.
7 months after he was admitted to Stoke Mandeville, Luke was given a discharge date in October, and made it home just in time for my 21st birthday! He now has great movement in his hands and arms, is beginning to regain his upper-body strength and the muscles in his legs are constantly improving. And I’m even pleased to be able to tell you that last month at Physio, using all the right equipment, he took his first few steps!
There are an estimated 40,000 people in the UK living with a spinal cord injury. Every eight hours, someone’s life will change forever. Spinal cord injury affects people of all ages and backgrounds; it can happen to anyone at any time. Today, 3 people in the UK will have an accident that will result in a spinal cord injury. They will become permanently paralysed, losing some or most of their bodily movement and will suffer dysfunction to many internal organs. The Back-Up Trust not only helps individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury, but they offer support and services to their families and friends too. I've learnt a lot from attending a “Relative’s Day” at Stoke Mandeville hospital, and I feel it’s given me an invaluable insight into the life of someone living with a disability.
So, ironically, I'm doing a 12-mile sponsored walk from Ipswich to Felixstowe. I'll be dressed as a "Where's Wally" character, and I've managed to rope-in a few of my friends too. We'd really appreciate as many sponsors as we can get. I'm not very active, (neither are they!) and I don’t pretend to keep fit, but I'll give it a damn good go! I only ask that you donate however much you can afford to, and that I have your support on the day.
I’m really proud of Luke. I hope that after reading my story, you would be too. But he wouldn’t have been able to do this alone. I’ll be forever grateful to organisations like the Back-Up Trust who provide support to both the injured individuals and their families. If you are ever put in the situation where you need to rely on the work from charities that offer volunteer work, I hope that you gain as much help and support as we did.
Thank you for listening!
Amber x
* Donating through ‘JustGiving’ is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe and they’ll never pass them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity, and make sure ‘Gift Aid’ is claimed on every eligible donation.
So please, dig deep and donate now!