Bruce's Road to Recovery

Meet Bruce — a truly special person. He’s never happier than when halfway up a rock face, running trails, or embracing a life filled full of adventure. His passion for the outdoors blends seamlessly with his love for storytelling, leading to a blossoming career as a researcher with the BBC Natural History Unit. This path has taken him all over the globe, capturing powerful and meaningful wildlife stories. He’s kind, caring and deeply loyal, he’s the type of person who you can always rely on.

In July 2024, Bruce’s life was forever changed after a tragic climbing accident in Avon Gorge. Despite wearing a helmet, a 30-foot fall left him with a severe traumatic brain injury. Thanks to the quick-thinking actions of his climbing partners and the incredible response from Bristol’s emergency services, Bruce was rushed to hospital, fighting for his life.

Bruce spent four weeks in ICU (17 days of which in a coma) and a total of 11 weeks at Southmead Hospital, enduring multiple surgeries — including the placement of a VP shunt to relieve pressure caused by hydrocephalus. It was a long and challenging road just to reach medical stability. His journey toward recovery has been fueled by unwavering determination, and on October 2nd, he was admitted to the Brain Injury Unit (BIRU) at Frenchay, where he began receiving the specialist rehabilitation care he needed. While he has made progress, his mobility and communication remain very limited, and he relies on support for much of his daily life. The road to recovery is slow, and his future remains uncertain.

Although progress has been gradual, there are encouraging signs. From his wheelchair, he can kick and throw a ball, feed himself, and even sit up on his own. His sense of humour shines through, often laughing at jokes before even his “slower” friends can catch on! With further intensive physiotherapy and rehab there is hope that his recovery can continue.

Why we need your help.

Bruce is still in the early stages of his recovery and during the all important first two years post accident ongoing therapy is essential as he works to rebuild his strength, mobility and ability to communicate. But brain injury survivors like Bruce frequently continue to recover, albeit perhaps more slowly, for many years after this initial ‘window’. So planning for 5 and perhaps even 10 years is prudent.

The fundraiser started in early April with the aim of addressing a potentially significant pause in Bruce’s rehabilitation as he moved from being an inpatient to accessing NHS community based therapy. The support for that first effort was astonishing and far exceeded our original and revised targets - thank you. However at the start of May we learned that there will no longer be a significant gap in therapy and although the exact level of provision is still to be confirmed this is still fantastic news and we are so grateful.

So now our aim is to be guided by the NHS therapy team to identify additional private services and/or equipment to most effectively complement and enhance their work in order to give Bruce the best possible chance at sustaining his progress over the next 5 years and if necessary beyond.

Your support can make a real difference — helping Bruce to continue moving forward, one step at a time.

What your donation may support:

Therapists with a neuro specialism at a cost of £230 per session (for one hour's therapy, plus travel and write up time). Bruce currently has nine hours therapy a week (three for each discipline shown below).

Neuro rehabilitation gym at a cost of £2,445 for four weeks

Bruce deserves the chance to reclaim the life he loved — a life filled with outdoor adventures and the joy of living fully. To help him reach that goal, we are asking for your generous support to fund the expensive ongoing therapy and treatment he so desperately needs. Every donation, no matter how small, will directly contribute to giving him the chance to reclaim his independence and rebuild his life.

Your kindness will mean the world to Bruce and his friends and family, giving them hope and strength to continue on this journey. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support.