Will Power - Spinal Cord Injury - Recovery
Donation protected
Wills accident
Will knew instantly what he had done. After landing on his back, he felt shooting pain in his neck, and as he tried to get up he realised he couldn’t move. He reached down to grab his legs but felt nothing. Within the hour the Great Western Air Ambulance and critical care team had moved him to Southmead Hospital in Bristol. MRI and CT scans revealed Will had fractured and dislocated his C6+C7 vertebrae, suffered major trauma to his spinal cord and needed emergency surgery to reset his spine and relieve his cord.
After 6 hours of spinal surgery, Will woke up in ICU with an incomplete SCI (spinal cord injury) leaving him paralysed from the chest down.
About Will
Since childhood Will has had an innate impulse to push his body to its physical limits. He explored everything from BMXing and bike touring across Europe to roller blading, boxing, skiing, gymnastics and callisthenics - before finally finding his two great loves in mountain biking and surfing.
Will is a very physical person but not your average sportsman. For Will, surfing and biking are more than just hobbies, they are the things that get him up in the morning - at ridiculous times. Even at the weekend, when any normal person would be enjoying the lie in. Times that no reasonable person should be awake to see, unless maybe you’re going to the airport or on the way back from a Big Night Out.
It’s not uncommon for Will to surf three times a week, whether that be a session at the Wavepool, or getting up at 3am and driving to Devon for a dawn surf. He mountain bikes almost every weekend (sometimes twice if Alex isn’t nagging him) and in the summer several times a week after work (in addition to surfing). When he isn’t doing his sports, he works out, because being physical is everything to Will. This injury is the cruellest challenge life could have thrown at him.
It is important to say Will is a very careful person. He looks after his body and understands the risks associated with the sports he does. He knows his limits - he analyses every move and every turn and calculates his decisions with scientific precision.
On February 11th 2022, Will had a freak accident whilst out on his mountain bike. He had a direct Axyl loading to his head. He was wearing a helmet but suffered major trauma to his spinal cord leaving him paralysed. The irony is he has had far worse crashes and walked away with grazes.
What we know
At this stage we have been told:
That this is a life changing injury.
That it is impossible to understand the potential of Wills recovery at this stage.
That this process is going to be incredibly slow.
That time will tell.
We don’t know where Will is going to end up, but we do know that the human body is incredible and that spinal rehabilitation and technology has advanced more in the last five years than it has in the last twenty. We also know that being young, fit and motivated are three of the most important factors in increasing chances of recovery - and Will has got all three in abundance.
SCI injuries are complex and the ability to recover is unique to each individual. Unbelievably this injury affects someone every 4 hours, with around 50,000 people currently living with an SCI injury in the UK.
Will has a long road to recovery. He is currently on a waiting list for Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury, where as an inpatient he should receive around three months of rehabilitation before he is able to be discharged. The NHS has been fantastic but they are stretched and Will’s wait time for the regional centre is looking likely to be four months from the date of the injury. Will is currently at his local hospital on a T&A ward as the hospital does not have a specialist spinal practitioner and he is only getting on average two sessions a week with the general physio team.
Alex (Will's partner) has been there every step of the way to look after Will. She is with him 10 hours a day, 5 days a week with his mum doing the same for the other two days. SCI injuries do not just affect movement, they affect all bodily functions below the injury and as a result Will requires a great deal of care. They are caring for him, and learning as much as they can about SCI’s. They are researching what they can about physio, moving his legs for him and helping him try to reconnect with the parts of his body he cannot control.
The first six months of a spinal cord injury are critical and are typically where the majority of the recovery happens. People can then often see slower recovery for up to two years post injury, and some for years after that. Ideally patients are transferred to a spinal centre in the first few weeks but, due to covid and high demand, this is not going to happen for Will. The spinal centre will offer some physio but is designed to ensure Will is safe to come home and looks to support in a holistic approach to life after an SCI.
Research shows recovery chances are hugely increased with more specialist physiotherapy, specialist knowledge, technologies and support.
Will is an incredibly humble person. He is unwaveringly kind to everyone who is helping him and he has dealt with the horror of his injury with absolute humility. He has been inspiring in his acceptance of his situation whilst remaining completely determined on the task at hand.
He has been utterly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from friends, family and colleagues, which came as no surprise to others because it is testament to the person he is. People who know him also understand what this injury means to someone like Will and have been offering to help in any way they can, whilst also encouraging him to reach out and start fundraising.
How you can help
We are hoping to raise funds for Will's recovery, physiotherapy, potential home alterations and for equipment that can get Will back to the physical life he loved so much.
We have been in touch with two Specialist Neurotherapy Centres in Bristol called Hobbs & Neurokinex.
Due to his wait time for the regional spinal centre we are looking to get Will into the neurophysio as often as possible ahead of his time in Salisbury.
He is not safe to come home until after Salisbury and will need specialist transfers to and from the two specialist centres/BRI.
Physio sessions cost between £70-£100 per hour and Will needs as much as he can get.
Once Will leaves the Spinal Treatment Centre and returns home we are hoping to get him onto a Hobbs intensive rehab programme. The programme is 80 hours of physio over 6 weeks at a total cost of £8000.
He will then need multiple physio sessions every week moving forward. We want him to have as much specialist treatment as possible to ensure we do everything in our power to aid the best possible recovery over the next couple of years.
We are at this stage unsure of what Will's physical capabilities will be. He has no motor function below his waist and needs a wheelchair to get around. We want to ensure he can live the life he enjoys, being as independent and outside as much as possible, going to the beach and walking his dog. He might need a variety of specialist chairs and equipment which all vary in cost but are all in the region of £2000-£5000.
There are a huge range of expenses associated with recovery which is where we need your help. It is not something that Will and Alex are used to asking for and they understand everyone’s time and financial commitments are completely different so please don’t feel obliged to donate if you can’t.
They have a number of friends planning fundraisers from cycling the three peaks, to walking long distances. If you feel you can participate, raise funds, donate or even share Will’s story, they would be incredibly grateful.
Will knew instantly what he had done. After landing on his back, he felt shooting pain in his neck, and as he tried to get up he realised he couldn’t move. He reached down to grab his legs but felt nothing. Within the hour the Great Western Air Ambulance and critical care team had moved him to Southmead Hospital in Bristol. MRI and CT scans revealed Will had fractured and dislocated his C6+C7 vertebrae, suffered major trauma to his spinal cord and needed emergency surgery to reset his spine and relieve his cord.
After 6 hours of spinal surgery, Will woke up in ICU with an incomplete SCI (spinal cord injury) leaving him paralysed from the chest down.
About Will
Since childhood Will has had an innate impulse to push his body to its physical limits. He explored everything from BMXing and bike touring across Europe to roller blading, boxing, skiing, gymnastics and callisthenics - before finally finding his two great loves in mountain biking and surfing.
Will is a very physical person but not your average sportsman. For Will, surfing and biking are more than just hobbies, they are the things that get him up in the morning - at ridiculous times. Even at the weekend, when any normal person would be enjoying the lie in. Times that no reasonable person should be awake to see, unless maybe you’re going to the airport or on the way back from a Big Night Out.
It’s not uncommon for Will to surf three times a week, whether that be a session at the Wavepool, or getting up at 3am and driving to Devon for a dawn surf. He mountain bikes almost every weekend (sometimes twice if Alex isn’t nagging him) and in the summer several times a week after work (in addition to surfing). When he isn’t doing his sports, he works out, because being physical is everything to Will. This injury is the cruellest challenge life could have thrown at him.
It is important to say Will is a very careful person. He looks after his body and understands the risks associated with the sports he does. He knows his limits - he analyses every move and every turn and calculates his decisions with scientific precision.
On February 11th 2022, Will had a freak accident whilst out on his mountain bike. He had a direct Axyl loading to his head. He was wearing a helmet but suffered major trauma to his spinal cord leaving him paralysed. The irony is he has had far worse crashes and walked away with grazes.
What we know
At this stage we have been told:
That this is a life changing injury.
That it is impossible to understand the potential of Wills recovery at this stage.
That this process is going to be incredibly slow.
That time will tell.
We don’t know where Will is going to end up, but we do know that the human body is incredible and that spinal rehabilitation and technology has advanced more in the last five years than it has in the last twenty. We also know that being young, fit and motivated are three of the most important factors in increasing chances of recovery - and Will has got all three in abundance.
SCI injuries are complex and the ability to recover is unique to each individual. Unbelievably this injury affects someone every 4 hours, with around 50,000 people currently living with an SCI injury in the UK.
Will has a long road to recovery. He is currently on a waiting list for Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury, where as an inpatient he should receive around three months of rehabilitation before he is able to be discharged. The NHS has been fantastic but they are stretched and Will’s wait time for the regional centre is looking likely to be four months from the date of the injury. Will is currently at his local hospital on a T&A ward as the hospital does not have a specialist spinal practitioner and he is only getting on average two sessions a week with the general physio team.
Alex (Will's partner) has been there every step of the way to look after Will. She is with him 10 hours a day, 5 days a week with his mum doing the same for the other two days. SCI injuries do not just affect movement, they affect all bodily functions below the injury and as a result Will requires a great deal of care. They are caring for him, and learning as much as they can about SCI’s. They are researching what they can about physio, moving his legs for him and helping him try to reconnect with the parts of his body he cannot control.
The first six months of a spinal cord injury are critical and are typically where the majority of the recovery happens. People can then often see slower recovery for up to two years post injury, and some for years after that. Ideally patients are transferred to a spinal centre in the first few weeks but, due to covid and high demand, this is not going to happen for Will. The spinal centre will offer some physio but is designed to ensure Will is safe to come home and looks to support in a holistic approach to life after an SCI.
Research shows recovery chances are hugely increased with more specialist physiotherapy, specialist knowledge, technologies and support.
Will is an incredibly humble person. He is unwaveringly kind to everyone who is helping him and he has dealt with the horror of his injury with absolute humility. He has been inspiring in his acceptance of his situation whilst remaining completely determined on the task at hand.
He has been utterly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from friends, family and colleagues, which came as no surprise to others because it is testament to the person he is. People who know him also understand what this injury means to someone like Will and have been offering to help in any way they can, whilst also encouraging him to reach out and start fundraising.
How you can help
We are hoping to raise funds for Will's recovery, physiotherapy, potential home alterations and for equipment that can get Will back to the physical life he loved so much.
We have been in touch with two Specialist Neurotherapy Centres in Bristol called Hobbs & Neurokinex.
Due to his wait time for the regional spinal centre we are looking to get Will into the neurophysio as often as possible ahead of his time in Salisbury.
He is not safe to come home until after Salisbury and will need specialist transfers to and from the two specialist centres/BRI.
Physio sessions cost between £70-£100 per hour and Will needs as much as he can get.
Once Will leaves the Spinal Treatment Centre and returns home we are hoping to get him onto a Hobbs intensive rehab programme. The programme is 80 hours of physio over 6 weeks at a total cost of £8000.
He will then need multiple physio sessions every week moving forward. We want him to have as much specialist treatment as possible to ensure we do everything in our power to aid the best possible recovery over the next couple of years.
We are at this stage unsure of what Will's physical capabilities will be. He has no motor function below his waist and needs a wheelchair to get around. We want to ensure he can live the life he enjoys, being as independent and outside as much as possible, going to the beach and walking his dog. He might need a variety of specialist chairs and equipment which all vary in cost but are all in the region of £2000-£5000.
There are a huge range of expenses associated with recovery which is where we need your help. It is not something that Will and Alex are used to asking for and they understand everyone’s time and financial commitments are completely different so please don’t feel obliged to donate if you can’t.
They have a number of friends planning fundraisers from cycling the three peaks, to walking long distances. If you feel you can participate, raise funds, donate or even share Will’s story, they would be incredibly grateful.
The target that has been set is an aspirational goal and has been advised as a rough idea of costs by a number of SCI victims, specialists and charities. Any money not used will go to helping other SCI victims.
Fundraising team (3)
Alex Brown
Organizer
England
Emma Brown
Team member
William Taylor
Team member
