Please take the time to read about a friend of mine and hopefully you can help me make a real difference to this special lads life.

On the 11th June 2017, Reece Kempley was on the last day of his holiday with his friends when he suffered a life-changing injury. Reece is the son of a colleague of mine, Dave Kempley, and while enjoying what should have been a fun holiday in Greece, was pushed by a stranger from a boat into the water, hitting the rocks resulting in Reece losing feeling in his body.

For the past two years Reece has been in a wheelchair with a spinal injury and no movement below his chest. Reece is a talented footballer who played five times a week and also coached junior teams, however now is unable to work or play his beloved sport. It has been a long road of treatment for Reece who has gained some sensation in his arms but still has a long way to go.

Reece has flown to Poland to undergo a treatment therapy called Lokomat, a form of robotic gait training where a machine puts patients through the motions of walking; the patient is held by a hoist above a treadmill, with a robotic skeleton attached to their legs. Research in the Spine Journal in 2014 found paraplegic patients who used Lokomat five times a week for 90 days showed ‘highly significant improvements’ in walking time, distance, and speed as well as improved muscle strength and reduced spasticity. Treatment is very expensive and one month costs up to £5,000.

I met Reece and asked if he would allow me to raise as much money as I could by running the London Marathon on the 28th of April this year in honour of Reece. I really want us to raise as much as he can to help Reece receive treatment in Poland. Anything you can spare at all will make a difference! If we could help Reece with at least one months’ worth of treatment that would just be amazing!

Reece is over the moon and completely humbled by what we are trying to do for him and has promised to be there with a banner on the day to cheer me on!

Reece is one of the most determined people I have ever met. Reece told me that he has his whole life ahead of him and is not accepting that he won’t walk again.

PLEASE HELP IN ANY WAY YOU CAN!

Thank you

Paul