Peters story

Peter Emyr Roberts born Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor 23rd August 1999. Raised in Rhosneigr and Valley, Pete is one of those people that just lights up a room, the party starter, lots of friends, always has a funny story to tell. He loves life and tries to live every moment to the full. A keen surfer, he’ll use any excuse to get out in the water, loves paddle boarding, jet skiing, loves all and any sports. As a trained life guard Pete has worked all over the UK in different holiday resorts, he loves travelling and meeting people, having experiences ‘you only live once, so make it your best life’.

Peter and his friends spent most of 2021 and early 2022 working as hard and saving as much as they could and had decided to go travelling. Like many young people Covid had meant that they had been stuck at home, missing milestones like 21st birthdays, Christmas and New Years parties. All he wanted to do was go off to the sun with his friends and have some fun. On May 17th 2022 Pete and two of his friends set of on their travels, first stop Zakynthos, Greece.

Tragically, on the 20th July 2022, two months into his trip, Pete was the victim of an unprovoked assault. He sustained two fractures to his skull and a bleed on the brain. The swelling to his brain was so severe that an emergency Craniectomy was performed, almost all of the right side of Pete’s skull was removed, he was not expected to survive the night and the family was told to prepare for the worst. But Peter kept fighting, day after day his strong heart kept beating, he remained in a coma for eight long weeks. During this time Peter suffered many complications, both his lungs collapsed, he underwent life saving lung surgery, he has acute kidney injury, gallbladder and bowel issues, Sepsis, severe bed sores, his weight plummeted to 30Kg, the average weight of a 9yr old! Due to the severity of his condition, it was not possible to repatriate Peter to the UK until September 2022. Peter was initially repatriated and admitted to Royal Stoke University Hospital Critical Care Unit where he remained until deemed stable enough to be transferred to the Complex Rehabilitation Unit at The Walton Centre, Liverpool.

Almost a year on Peter is still an inpatient in the CRU at Walton. Over the past 10 months Pete has had to learn everything again. He has had to learn how to breath again, to swallow, to drink and eat. He has severe and complex cognitive and physical impairments and has also been diagnosed with PTSD. Although he understands that he is in hospital he does not have capacity to understand that he has suffered a severe brain injury or the way in which this affects his ability to understand information. He has regained some of is memory of past events but can't remember may of the people and friends he once knew. Everyday he improves a little more, slowly that funny, geeky personality coming back.

Although initially Peter had no movement in any of his limbs, his right arm and leg are now working, his left leg and arm are still very weak. He can now sit up on his own and is able to stand for a few seconds with assistance, although incredibly painful he is determined to walk again and tries so hard in his physiotherapy sessions, often working himself so hard he almost passes out! Now the weather is improving he loves being taken outside in his wheelchair, he loves the sun. Recent Cranioplasty surgery was a great success, Peter now has a ceramic plate inserted to replace his missing portion of skull. His hair is slowly growing back and he has a very large scar to impress the ladies!

Pete's fight to survive and his continued battle for recovery is incredible, his medical team have said 'he is a medical miracle who is beating all the odds. There are so many times that Pete almost didn't make it but his love of life never left him. Nobody knows what the future holds for Pete and his family, there is still such a long road ahead. Peter is going to need years of rehabilitation and specialist therapy just to do the things that most people take for granted everyday.

Ray and Lesley spend every day with Peter in hospital and they face a long road with many challenges ahead , so with this challenge along with a charity golf day planned for 5 August we hope we can reach our target to assist Peter, Ray , Lesley and the family going forward