Help paralysed surfer Dean Amos adapt his home

Our best-man Dean’s story:

Please check out Dean & Becky's blog "How Hard Can It Be?" for the latest news: bit.ly/DeanandBeckysblog

On Australia Day, 26th Jan ‘24, Dean kissed his newly wed wife Becky goodbye and headed off for a morning surf. Early in the session Dean got caught off guard by a closing out wave, and got dumped head first onto a shallow sand bar. The impact dislocated and broke his neck and he was immediately paralysed. Face down in the water and unable to move, he held his breath until another wave flipped him onto his back. Nearby surfers realised he was in trouble and quickly came to his rescue. They floated him back to shore, where Secret Harbour’s amazing Surf Life Saving Club swung into action, stabilising his neck and calling paramedics.

Becky & Dean in ICU

Dean had been a keen open-water swimmer, surfer, stand-up paddleboarder, snow boarder, mountain bike & motorbike rider. He also loved ballroom dancing & yoga. Having served in the Royal Australian Navy for 10 years, he then left Australia and settled in the UK for 3 decades, before returning to Aus in 2021 to enjoy a better lifestyle and be nearer his family. He married Becky last April and they recently bought their first home – a 1970’s doer upper, which they were renovating themselves. But Dean now has zero sensation or function below his armpits and very little function in his hands, so the couple need tradesmen to finish the renovation and make their home fully accessible.

Dean & Becky's wedding at Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle

What’s needed?

Internal building works to widen doorways, knock walls out, upgrade electrics & plumbing ($40k), design & install an accessible kitchen ($50k), rip out & replace the bathroom with a larger wet-room ($35k), install hard-flooring throughout for wheelchair use ($15k), and install hoist systems ($25k). Outside the driveway needs to be widened, paths improved, entrances ramped & external doors widened. We hope to achieve this within the next 6 months so that Dean can be released from rehab and come home to Becky, to begin rebuilding their lives. Anything you can spare, no matter how small, will be hugely appreciated.

UPDATE

Massive thanks to everyone who has donated to Dean & Becky's cause so far. For those intrigued by Dean’s condition, you can see the radical neck dislocation in this side-on, pre-op CT scan. The dislocation is between the C6 and C7 vertebrae. His spinal cord is in the black channel between the front and back of the vertebrae. The cord suffered crushing, haemorrhage and swelling across a pretty large area. It’s a really severe injury.

Pre-op CT scan

A few hours after the accident he underwent a 5 hour operation to relocate his neck and to plate the 2 vertebrae that were dislocated. Then 3 days later, they went in again to stabilise his neck, attaching rods to the undamaged vertebrae. His neck is quite bionic now! He’ll remain in a brace for at least 8 weeks, and then will be weaned off it slowly, while his neck muscles regain strength.

Post-op xray

Dean's back on 2 wheels! Pulling wheelies as he practices his manual wheelchair skills. It didn't quite go according to plan. He ended up on his back, cracking his head against some gym equipment, a bit of a panic and one CT scan later and all is OK. Just like he told everyone it was immediately after it happened!

Defo only 2 wheels in contact!