Independent motion

What would you give to make a dream come true if you woke to find yourself living a nightmare?

What would you feel if you could never again walk on a beach? Or go out alone in the snow...feel the stillness of a wood or cross a field?

And then, you found a way...

In 2009, my son was a successful young man with a bright future... until he was stabbed through the brain in an unprovoked attack and left for dead in an alley.

He was found almost immediately by passers-by who saved his life. By the time we arrived at the hospital, Nick was being prepared for emergency brain surgery. We were allowed to see him, for a few minutes, to say goodbye. He was not expected to survive.

The police had already launched a murder investigation and the officer by his bed wept with us.

For weeks, my son was in a coma, his brain swelling and bleeding, causing further damage. Every day, we waited for the inevitable to happen. We were told that if he woke at all, it would probably be to a vegetative state. At best, he might have the mind and abilities of a two-year-old. The damage was extensive and irreversible. He would need constant care for the rest of his life. He was 25.

My son chose not to die. He chose life instead.

Slowly, Nick began to wake. Yet he woke to a nightmare. He could not move. He could not speak and his sight was damaged. Unable to communicate, we had no idea if he could hear us or if any part of the man we knew and loved remained.

As he became more aware and began to regain some movement, I had him blink, counting blinks for ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Then my worst fears were realised... my son was still ‘there’, terrified and confused, trapped in an unresponsive body with little or no hope of recovery. That was Hell....

...and it wasn’t an outcome we were prepared to consider.

It was six months before Nick was released from hospital to my care. He had regained some movement, though he could neither sit nor stand without support. He had no coordination and his dominant right side was the worst affected and of little use. His sight was double and bounced constantly and his speech was poor.

We set about using every means we could think of to help his recovery, in spite of being told that his dreams were unrealistic. Nick worked all day, every day, to regain the use of his body, voice and mind.

Nick was interviewed by the Bournmouth Echo a year after the attack. You can see what he was fighting against...

Nick worked all day, every day, to regain the use of his body, voice and mind. We used every means we could think of to help his recovery, in spite of being told that his dreams were unrealistic.

There was invisible damage too and he wrestled with his brain until it began to function again. There were problems with memory, emotions and processing, but slowly, over the course of several years of constant hard work, his determination paid dividends.

He had gone about as far as he could with his physical recovery. He had already defied every prediction in what has been a miraculous recovery. Even so, his self confidence and self worth were very low. He had withdrawn from the world. Now, Nick had reached a point where he needed to start Living again.

In 2014, Nick and his brother did a tandem skydive to raise money for charity. In 2015, with the magnificent support of the online community, he raised £3000 for UKABIF riding 20km on his trike in the first Para-Tri triathlon. The following month, he rode again, this time in the London to Brighton , also for charity.

He was interviewed by the BBC before the triathlon: you can see the interviews here.  

In 2015, Nick spoke at the UKABIF Conference in London and was presented with the Stephen McAleese Award for Inspiration.

Nick's dream is to see something of the world. He believes that having been granted a second chance at life, it would be ungrateful to reach the  end of it with a string of 'if onlys' and regrets. He decided he would sell all he has to be able to travel and made up his mind to do so, if he could ever find a way.

Nick is still unable to walk unaided. His speech is now good, though not perfect. His sight is permanently damaged in spite of further surgeries. His right side is now strong, but coordination is poor. For years he had to be pushed in a wheelchair and could not go out alone. Now he uses an electric wheelchair to get around as his coordination will still not allow him to use a standard, manual wheelchair to self-propel.

Then he found the Mountain Trike .


The Mountain Trike is a cross between a wheelchair and a mountain bike...an off-road wheelchair that is self propelled by a patented sytem that Nick CAN use.

He hired a Mountain Trike and trialled it out in the landscape, tackling rough grass, woodland trails, slopes, gravel and mud. They can tackle beaches and snow, go up mountains and over rocks. They do not need someone there to push them and are not hampered by the need to carry heavy batteries and electric chargers. Yet they work around town too and  are compact enough to go into shops and restaurants.

They represent freedom. Independence. Possibility.

Or as Nick wrote on his blog - "awesomeness".

With the modifications Nick needs to enable him to use it to its fullest and fulfill his dream of travelling, the Mountain Trike will cost £5,000.

Nick has already sold much of what he owns to fund his travels. Nick has always paid for his mobility equipment himself, as he did the trike that he used to raise so much money for charity and inspire so many people. There were no other funding options available to him... you do not qualify for help buying an electric wheelchair if you do not have space to use it indoors.

Please help my son to raise the money for the Mountain Trike. If you cannot donate, please help by sharing this appeal.

My son's story has been an inspiration to many people and he has helped change their lives. Please help him to change his and realise a dream.

Thank you.