Please can you help our friend Josh Souster

We are hoping to raise funds for our friend Josh, in recovering from a broken back after a devastating spinal cord injury, as a result of a mountain biking accident. With funds raised we are hoping it will help him get back to somewhere near the life he loved and regain his passion for the outdoors. Any funds raised will go towards mobility equipment, home alterations, disability aids and physiotherapy.

Josh's Story

On Thursday 10th August 2023 our friend Josh Souster suffered a life changing injury after a mountain biking accident in Madeira. Unfortunately, on the last day of a guided riding holiday with freeride Madeira, Josh went off a jump, got it wrong and unfortunately landed head first. Despite his helmet saving his life, his spine had taken the brunt of the impact. When we got to Josh after the crash, we knew it was really serious as he couldn’t feel his legs! Our Freeride Madeira guide was amazing by quickly alerting the emergency services who tended to Josh. The paramedics aided by his friends carried him off the mountain, face down on a spinal board to a waiting ambulance. He was then rushed to Dr. Nelio Mendonca hospital in Madeira.

On our arrival at the hospital later that day we were told we were not allowed to see him due to the severity of his injury. We spoke to the Doctors who told us the devastating news that he had snapped his spine, severed his spinal cord and also fractured his neck! His injury was T7 down and T10 complete with fractures to C3,C4 and C5. Devastatingly, as a result of this injury he would not walk again! You can only imagine the heartbreak we all felt!

Josh was made as comfortable as possible in intensive care where we were able to see him the next day for a short time before we flew home.

After an agonising week in intensive care to stabilize the injury, he underwent 7/8 hours of spinal surgery where metal fixations from T7 to T12 were placed to fix the break in his spine. He then spent two more weeks in intensive care, recovering from the surgery until he was stable enough to be flown home to the UK. The support Josh received from Rui our Freeride Madeira guide, the paramedics, fire service and the medical team of Dr Nelio Mendonca hospital was amazing, some of whom have kept in touch.

On 1st September Josh was flown by Medivac plane to New Cross hospital where he spent nearly 8 weeks on bed rest until a bed became available at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt spinal hospital in Oswestry.

On Monday 23rd October Josh was transferred to Oswestry hospital to start his spinal rehabilitation.

This injury has highlighted more challenges than most people could ever know about; physical, mental, emotional and social to name but a few.

Josh has had a rough 6 months so far with months of bed rest, paralysis, internal bleeding, blood transfusions, intense pain, pneumonia and the list goes on but he is still very determined.

Josh is an incredibly humble and kind human being. Always asking about others when he is fighting the biggest battle of his life. We really would like to raise as much money as we can so that he can regain his independence and enjoy his new life as best he can.

We would be so grateful of any donation and we know Josh would be too.

Thank you in advance.