A life changing injury – A Three Peak Challenge

Three Peaks. 4 Bikes. 4 Friends. 24 hours.

In February our best friend Will had an accident in which he broke his neck and damaged his spinal cord, paralysing him from the chest down.

 

He now has the huge challenge of re-teaching his body and limbs how to work, and learning how to live with a spinal cord injury.

 

Spinal cord injuries are as unique as the individuals who fall victim to them. The road to recovery is slow and the outcome indeterminate. However, quality of life, independence and even movement can, in some cases, return through intense specialist physiotherapy and spinal rehabilitation treatment, but this of course, is hugely expensive.

 

Therefore this summer, as four friends, we have set ourselves a challenge that will test our character, inner strength and #willpower.

We will attempt to summit 3 of the biggest peaks in the UK with our mountain bikes in under 24 hours.

We hope that in doing this challenge, we will be able to raise enough money to get Will the specialist care, equipment and rehab he needs to give him the best possible chances to not only regain his independence, but we hope, one day… to walk again.

 

More about Will…

 

#willpower

 

As I understand it, willpower is a dogged determination that allows us to push our minds and bodies to do things that are out of our comfort zones. The progression sweet spot.

Accessing this zone, learning a new skill, challenging your body and having fun whilst doing it brings levels of happiness and clarity that soften a lot of the stress and rigour that modern life throws at us. A shared loved for mountain biking and for progression is what Will and I have bonded most over during the last 3 years.

On Friday 11th February 2022, whilst out on our mountain bikes doing what we’ve done nearly every weekend for the past few years, Will crashed. A freak accident in a local park, resulting in a direct Axyl loading to his head. He was wearing a helmet, but regardless suffered a major trauma to his spinal cord, leaving him paralysed. It is a cruel irony to think that as a group of riders and above all friends, we have witnessed Will tackle features much larger and more technical and walk away, not just unscathed but with a smile on his face.

 

After a 6 hour operation the evening of the accident, where the surgeons relocated & bolted his dislocated and fractured C6 & C7 vertebrae, Will woke up with an incomplete Spinal cord injury, leaving him paralysed from the chest down.

 

His road to recovery is full of uncertainty. So little is known about spinal cord injuries and although the NHS has been totally amazing from the night of the accident to now, research shows recovery chances are hugely increased with more specialist physiotherapy, specialist knowledge, technologies and support.

 

Our friendship with Will is based not purely on a shared hobby but on a shared love for the process.

We have spent countless hours on our mountain bikes practising, *playing, in abandoned car parks and in woods up and down the country on a quest to improve what often feels more like an art form rather than a physical activity. Nor is it entirely about the hobby. Mountain biking has allowed us to spend an immense amount of time with a human being that we respect, admire and above all love. His kindness, humility, drive, compassion and humour never ceases to amaze us. Even now.

We cannot ease the physical struggles that our friend is going through, but potentially, we can help some of the financial struggles that are to come. Specialist physiotherapy sessions at Hobbs Intensive Neurotherapy Centre in Bristol are between £70 and £100 per hour and a full programme at Hobbs is 80 hours of physio over 6 weeks at a total cost of £8000. He is going to need all the help he can get. He will also almost certainly require a variety of specialist wheelchairs and equipment which range from £2000 - £5000 each.

In June, four of us are endeavouring to mountain bike up and down three of the largest peaks in the UK in 24 hours. Ben Nevis (Scotland), Helvellyn (England) and Snowdon (Wales) are the chosen mountains, with a cumulative height of 3380m. We aim to complete all three of the peaks in 24 hours and our target is to raise £15,000. This would pay for a complete block of specialist physio at Hobbs, a specialist wheelchair and assist in the funding of the house adjustments that will need to occur to make Will and Alex’s new home wheelchair friendly.

 

Whilst Will is learning how to move his body again, we will be pushing ours beyond our comfort zones too. Thanks in advance for anything that you can offer and it seems right to finish this with hope and by acknowledging that truly miraculous things can happen if we fully put our minds to them. That’s Willpower.

 

#willpower


The proceeds will  be transferred to George Buck bank from this go fund me page, then all proceeds will be bank transfered William Taylors recovery bank account.