Last August our son Sam suffered a devastating spinal cord injury. Within minutes, he went from being a healthy 19-year-old Medical student to paralysed from the shoulders down.

We are helping Sam get the neuro physio, assistive technologies and home adaptions he needs to recover and adjust to this life-changing injury.

We've just completed our first fundraising event, walking the South West Coast Path; 40 miles, in 4 days, raising an incredible £14,500 so far. Our next event is an evening at the Village Farm in East Portlemouth on 7 November; welcome drink, 'one pot' dinner, saxophone player James Harris and a fundraising raffle. Tickets are on sale now, at £25 per person.

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Sam; first year Medical student

Sam had just completed his first year reading Medicine at the University of Birmingham when he suffered an incredibly rare spinal stroke. Sam has wanted to be a doctor ever since he was a young boy. But for the last 12 months he has been the patient, surrounded by medical teams; when he was critically ill in the intensive care unit at Torbay Hospital, at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore in London, and now at the Plym Neuro Rehab Unit in Devon.

Sam is a wonderful brother, friend, son and grandson - and, with his bravery and his positivity, he's an inspiration to us all. He left Kingsbridge Community College with 9 GCSEs, all grade 9, and 3 A Levels, all A Star, with a clear path in Medicine ahead of him. With your help, that path is still open.

Sam's spinal cord injury

Sam’s spinal stroke was caused by a fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE). The latest data shows there are only 67 confirmed cases in the world. The injury was high up on Sam’s spine at the C2 level, damaging the nerves that supply messages from the brain to the muscles in Sam’s arms, legs, hands, feet and diaphragm.

He currently needs support for every aspect of daily life. But despite his life-changing injury, Sam has stayed positive throughout; determined to ‘keep going’ and to restore as much movement as possible.

Sam's progress

Sam is breathing independently again. The focus now is on physio and rehab. Sam has some movement in his right hand, arm and leg, and flickers of movement on the left hand side, that can be optimised with neuro physio and assistive technologies.

What Sam needs

Sam is under the medical care of the incredible team at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, who are already talking about getting Sam back to university. But first we need to raise some funds to get three things for Sam;

• the physio he needs to optimise his movement and drive neuroplasticity; the body’s natural way of repairing damaged nerves. The more neuro physio Sam gets, the better his recovery will be.

• the assistive technologies that will aid Sam’s rehab, such as a robotic supporting arm and Functional Electrical Stimulation; a machine and an FES bike that uses electrical impulses to stimulate nerves and muscles. The equipment we are setting out to get for Sam has been recommended by the experts at the RNOH at Stanmore.

• home adaptations – from controls for lights and temperature to making the garden accessible. Sam has always loved growing plants and trees, and spending time in the Horatio's Garden at Stanmore has been hugely beneficial. Evidence shows that these gardens support better sleep, vitamin D levels, improved relationships, mental health, distraction from pain, and reduce stress. We would love to give Sam the same calm, inspiring garden at home.

How you can help Sam

As Sam’s mum and dad, we are reaching out to every community where Sam has lived and played a part – the South Hams, Kingsbridge, Chew Magna, Bristol and Birmingham - to raise these vital funds.

We are being supported by the NHS, South Hams District Council and some amazing organisations, such as the Independent Living Centre in Newton Abbot and we are extremely grateful to them all. But there is a limit to what they can do.

That’s why your donation is so important to us.

Naomi and Scott's message is simple;

All donations will be received by Aspire - a national spinal cord injury charity who will manage the fund. As a charity, Aspire will claim any Gift Aid on Sam's behalf, meaning Gift Aid donations will go further in helping Sam. Aspire will receive a percentage of the total fund, allowing them to continue their vital services in supporting Sam, and others with life-changing spinal cord injuries.

Donating through JustGiving is simple and fast and your personal details are totally secure.