Help Charlie recover from his motorcycle accident

Hello, thanks for visiting my fundraising page. It’s important to me that people are aware of what they are investing in which is why I feel the importance to tell my story so far and my hopes for the future.

I guess I can start with the accident, what happened? Nobody knows really, I’ve lost all memory of the accident except the clarity of the moment lying on the side of the road thinking that I was going to die. All we know is that nobody else was involved in the accident except me. I was making my way home on my Honda CBR500 on the A2 near Dartford when I hit the crash barrier, the impact likely crushed my right leg. I went over the barrier and the deep laceration injury to my backside suggests that I slid along the top of the barrier before I tumbled into the trees. The really messed up part about the accident was that I wasn’t found for around 5 hours. The paramedics said that I had dragged myself closer to the road from where I had been lying. Considering I had a leg hanging off, bones sticking out my right arm and the other leg broken, I found this hard to believe at first.

A little later after I was found I got airlifted to King’s college hospital in London. Thankfully I got there quick enough that I didn’t bleed out; not long after arriving the surgeons carried out emergency surgery on all my wounds and I was placed into a medicated coma for 3 weeks as the pain and the multiple surgeries would have been too much of a stress on my body I was unable to breathe on my own and was intubated with a breathing tube. During these 3 weeks all manner of operations were performed to help get me in a better position. My right leg was amputated above the knee to prevent it poisoning me. My right arm also suffered extensive damage but the doctors told me I was lucky to keep it; both forearm bones broke through the skin and took a big chunk of muscle and skin with it. I had skin flap surgery to fill in the hole, using a large piece of skin and flesh from my back, the surgeons connected the blood vessels under microscope and the flesh managed to adhere to my arm permanently; It doesn’t look pretty but it’s better than having a hole in my arm. Functionality in my right hand will never be fully restored but I can work towards making it better. On my left leg I had an operation to brace my shattered shin with several internal plates, this should heal well and leave no permanent damage. I am covered in scars from lacerations and punctures but the most notable ones are across my chest and backside.

I contracted sepsis and a chest infection which was a very worrying time for my family and the doctors. After 3 weeks in a medicated coma I was gradually weaned off the sedation and woke up. After I was woken up from my coma, I was very confused due to the amount of drugs they had kept me on, I knew I had an accident but I didn’t know how long I was asleep for and that I had lost the leg. It was a very traumatic time for me but there were moments that kept me sane. One fond memory I have though was coming off the feeding tube after a month of it. The nurse gave me some ice cold apple juice, I don’t think I will taste anything greater in my life, it was truly incredible. Small moments like that do make me appreciate the things I took for granted, like being at home. 12 operations and 11 weeks later in the hospital and there’s nothing I want more than to go home right now. I have the opportunity to go home, but it’s for the best that I stay for the next phase of my recovery which is amputee rehabilitation. If I was to go home now my home life would be really difficult for me and my family. Hopefully in the next 6 weeks I’ll be walking with my prosthetic leg without too much fuss.

As for my future, I’m honestly not sure exactly what I’m going to do. What I do know is that I’m going to push myself to my physical limits and enjoy everyday as much as I can while I work hard to achieve my goals and aspirations, it’s hard to really appreciate life until you’ve accepted death.

If you choose to donate I’d really appreciate it, everything will go towards improving my quality of life and by extension my family’s. Your donation will help me afford the equipment and facilities I need to achieve my goal of independence. Even if you don’t donate, thank you for reading about a small chapter in my life.

God bless,

Charlie Ritchie.