In September 2021, Connor's life changed after an unfortunate accident where he fell from a height and broke his neck. As a result, he was paralysed from the chest down. He spent the first 6 weeks in Southampton Hospital where he had an operation to reset his spine, but the compression and bruising of his spinal cord will take time to settle. He was supposed to be in a coma for a few days, but he woke up the next morning with a tube down his throat and a childs rattle strapped to his hand so he could alert staff if he needed anything. At this stage he had very little movement. A few days later he was talking and joking with the nurses.

He was then in Salisbury Spinal Unit for nearly 9 months where he pushed himself in every physio and gym session. His positive attitude and determination have helped him tackle everyday tasks that we all take for granted. He can now eat using a special spoon/fork, brush his teeth and style his hair. It's hard to believe that he had so little movement right at the start.

Spinal cord injuries are complex and come hand in hand with a variety of complications in the body. Connor needs a lot of equipment that is used frequently to help with daily tasks and his recovery process. Chances of recovery are higher with progressive physio and knowledge of his condition, which is difficult in Guernsey when his condition is so unique.
With your help with a hefty price tag of nearly £16k, Connor was able to move to a private Hobbs Rehabilitation Centre for 4 weeks in July 2022. It's an intense course of physio. They spend 4/5 hours a day with him, have a purpose built gym and a personalised physio programme to push Connor to achieve and learn as much as he can so that he's got more of a chance of getting more feeling/movement that will make his day to day life easier.

Connor returned to Guernsey in August 2022 and lived in the PEH until May 2023 once suitable accommodation became available for him. We were lucky that we were able to send Connor back to Hobbs in February and it's helped him to progress and work on his fitness and abilities. He is attending the gym as much as he can and is now looking into specialised equipment to suit his needs.

Thank you so much for all of your help so far. Connor is overwhelmed by your support.

As Connor has said "there's nothing I can't do, I just haven't found a way yet".