My son Chris has lived with a life-changing C2/C3 spinal injury for over 19 years following a motocross accident in 2007.

From the very beginning, he has faced everything with strength, courage, and a positivity that inspires everyone who meets him. He truly is an incredible young man.

But right now, Chris is facing one of the hardest battles of his life.

A few years ago, he suffered a second serious injury to his neck due to the lack of proper suspension in his current vehicle. The damage has been devastating — a titanium rod and screw have been bent, and his body has built up around 6 inches of scar tissue in all the wrong places.

This has led to severe, constant nerve pain that is now crippling him.

This is pain he lives with every single minute of every day.

It has taken his comfort, his confidence, and now it is taking away his ability to leave the house at all. Even the smallest bump in the road causes unbearable agony. Without help, his world will become smaller and smaller.

We are trying to raise at least £60,000 for two urgent and essential needs:

Firstly, a specialised operation called DREZ (Dorsal Root Entry Zone), which destroys the damaged nerve endings. This is Chris’s best chance of finally escaping the relentless pain and reducing the heavy burden of medication he is forced to take — on top of the 30+ tablets he already needs daily.

Secondly, a new high-roof, long wheelbase vehicle with critical adaptations. This is not a luxury — it is his lifeline. It is the only way he can travel safely, and in many ways, it is his ambulance. It must include air suspension(£15-20k), insulation, heating and cooling, and power for his ventilator. Without this, he simply cannot travel.

We are now in a race against time.

Chris must change vehicles by July and all of these adaptations need to be completed before it becomes a fully functional disability vehicle. That leaves us with very little time to raise the funds needed.

We didn’t have the reach of social media back in 2007. Now, we are asking for help — wherever you are in the world.

Please, if you can, support Chris. Whether that’s through a donation or simply sharing this message, it truly makes a difference.

You would be helping to give him relief from constant pain…

You would be helping him leave the house without fear…

You would be helping him hold onto some quality of life.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read this.

If you wish to know more about our amazing son and what he has gone through in just the first few years.

This is Chris' story told in his own words...

" In 2007, aged 24, I started a new challenge in my life.

Having won a good number of races in the semi-expert motocross championship in 2006 I moved up to the expert motocross championship.

On Easter Monday, April 9th it was my 1st race in this class.

I knew this day would have challenges but nothing like what was to come...

The day was going brilliantly with two good results in the first two races, but halfway through the last race of the day, I was breaking into the last corner doing approx 10-15mph at Donemana race track.

Then bang…

An Electric shock goes right through my entire body and I’m on the ground looking back up the track, saying “What the hell”. I go to get up and only my head moves slightly, I go to try again and my head only moves a little bit more, somehow it’s locked and confirmed in my brain in those few seconds that I am paralysed and will never move again. I was utterly terrified, so I tried to scream but nothing happened.

I realised I was suffocating. I could vaguely see my dad and my aunt running up towards me and I could hear people talking but not exact words, then I could feel my body rolling back, the only clear words I heard were “Cut it, cut it, cut it”. Then that’s it, everything turns black...

Those words "Cut it cut it cut it" were from my dad trying to take the helmet off so that the paramedics could give me breaths and start chest compressions because I was going into cardiac arrest. Thankfully my dad got the helmet off and the paramedics were able to revive me and I was brought back within 30 seconds...

What I only was told recently was I would have to be resuscitated a second time on the way to the hospital!!

Five days later in the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, I woke up and asked where am I realising I couldn't speak. A nurse got my mum, dad, girlfriend of five years and surgeons to explain to me where I am and why I am here.

The surgeons told me that I have broken the c2/c3/c4 vertebrae in my neck which has crushed my spinal cord which means I will have little chance of ever moving again and will continue to need a machine to breathe for me.

As I could only whisper, I stated in the best way I could “It’s ok, I remember all that, I already knew I was paralysed on the track, but I remember suffocating which was so much worse, so I am ok with whatever way I’m alive, I’m just happy to be here".

From the time of that unforgettable conversation, until this very day, I have been determined, strong, and positive using all of the focus, drive and energy I previously used to race to now remain a part of this world for as long as possible and learn to embrace all the challenges that was ahead of me and still are to this day.

One thing I never expected to have to ever overcome was to end my five-year relationship with my girlfriend only a couple of months whom I adored who was also my best friend. This was an exceptionally hard decision to make because I was deeply in love with her but regretfully had to do this at the time even though I would miss her every day desperately from then to this very day, to save us both.

So really, being on my own, with only my parents (who were grieving themselves) and a few family members for support, many people doubted my positivity, resilience, and willpower as I was an unusual case, being conscious and happy given the severity of my injuries.

I still was able to gather my thoughts and come to terms with everything, managing to figure out a way and a system mentally to deal with my injury in those first days, weeks and months, as well as trying to find a new way to communicate as I was non-verbal for the first 3 months.

Also, the physical aspects of my injury like learning to talk on a machine, being hoisted into and getting used to a wheelchair and simply eating again which was very painful initially.

Trying to grasp most of the aspects of the new life I would be living even though nearly all nurses, doctors and consultants doubted me as they thought I was in denial and not accepting my life-changing injuries.

What I didn't expect was having to do it all while spending 6 months living in the most serious Intensive Care Unit in the UK, where 42 people have died all around me and the sound of the poor families who lost their loved ones who came to see their relatives for the last final time and the howling and screaming I had to endure was horrendous,

When I did transfer to Musgrave I had to spend a further 2 years and 3 months there waiting for my care package to be built up. This allowed me to feel like I had a purpose, spending most of my time helping others through their rehabilitation. I was able to also have a few pieces of media in local news.

So to finally get to an adapted bungalow, 2 years and 9 months after my accident and waiting in hospitals, was amazing and it has been pretty good over the first number of years.

What most people don't know or realise is that I need two ICU-level trained staff to be with me 24 hours a day to keep me alive which means I am never in a room on my own or even in my bedroom at night, the staff swap over every 30 minutes even while I try to sleep.

It also means almost everywhere I go I have to pay for 3 tickets to every event as they can never leave my side. As well as suffering from, like most other people with this injury, extreme nerve pain 24/7. Also, I have spent long periods on bedrest because I have had pressure sores where I have to lay flat on my back 24 hours a day, sometimes weeks/months at a time (in my case, over 7 years in total!) until they are healed."

He has had to spend around 7 of his 18 years in bed rest for days/weeks/months at a time due to pressure sores but he still maintains a positive attitude throughout.

We must take the time to thank a few exceptionally kind people who did a few fundraisers at the time of our son's accident.

Unfortunately because of a loophole in his insurance coverage that meant he only received a few thousand pounds instead of a mid-six-figure sum that most people probably think he received.

These funds raised enough money for him to pay for some devices and adaptations to his new home.

These have played a substantial role in his daily living over the years that we must tell you are mostly redundant or outdated now that he can't replace them as that money depleted quite a few years ago.

Over the years, there were other people in similar situations to him who were higher profile in their perspective fields. Funds were more readily available to them.

This has made a massive difference to their lives and hope if we can raise the amount we are hoping for we will enjoy some of the benefits they have which would make a massive difference to our son's life.

Currently, there is more technically advanced equipment and new technology available that will make a huge impact on the standard of his can live his life now and in the future and secure funds for new designs or equipment as the world advances.

So having read our son's story any donations big or small will be massively appreciated and we will be eternally grateful for your help...

Terry Esler #4.