A Scots man was left almost paralysed from the shoulders down after a horror bike accident.
Niall Harris, 41, who lives in Leith, Edinburgh, suffered a high-level spinal cord injury after taking a tumble on his bike and landing on his head, in August 2020.
The outdoor enthusiast went over the handlebars of his bike at the Caddon Bank Mountain Biking Trail, in Innerleithen. Former climbing instructor Niall says he immediately knew things were bad when his feet flipped up into the air and he felt a strange sense of ‘disconnection’ in his body as he lay on the ground, surrounded by his friends.
Niall said: “At the time of the accident, specialists told me I was almost fully paralysed from the shoulders down and that it was likely I would be for life, but the goalposts have totally shifted over time, which is really positive."
After the accident, he endured a nine-month stay in hospital and a further seven-month discharge to a nursing home. He began specialist rehabilitation treatment and was determined not to give up hope.
While Niall still has progress to make, his situation is a far cry from the time doctors feared he might be on ventilation for life without regaining movement. He is now regaining movement and has moved into his own home and returned to work in a school - things he and doctors feared may never again be possible.
Niall says his progress so far has been greatly assisted by using a specialist profiling care bed from retailer Opera Beds. Thanks to the design and capabilities of the bed, he says he no longer feels like he's trapped in a hospital room in his home.
Niall said: "Lying in bed for seven months didn't really give me much of an opportunity to recover, so the key stage really was when I left the nursing home, I’ve now moved into my own home.
“With some funding I got a neuro physiotherapist to come in once a week and from there my progression just kicked off. I realised then the potential that was there, and I had much more hope.
“I remember the first thing Katie, my physio, said after looking at me was, ‘right, we're going to stand up now’ - and she got me to stand up from my chair.
“I was just blown away completely. It kind of threw me off for a while but it was the start of something special. I’d already been able to curl a toe, push my leg and lift an arm on the right side of my body by that point, and then it gradually started happening on my left side to the point where my muscles were strong enough to push myself up with my legs and lean forward in my chair.
“Now I can eat and drink from a table with my adaptive equipment."
Niall said his movement is still not permanent but he had since returned to work, working with children who need additional learning support.
He added: "We’re still working through getting the adaptations put in place so I can work more, but it’s a positive thing which has brought some normality back into my life.”
Following his accident, a JustGiving page setup by loved ones helped him raise almost £27,000 - something Niall is entirely grateful for.
Earlier this year, Matt Hampson Foundation helped Niall adapt to his life and home. Named after founder and ex-Rugby player Matt Hampson OBE, it supports individuals living with life-changing circumstances after an accident or injury.
Niall said: “Now I use a Trekinetic all-terrain power chair which is joystick-operated but can also be used manually.
“It's the one I got thanks to the funds raised and it's a game changer - especially when you live somewhere like Leith, in an old part of town where there's just cobbles everywhere and precipitous drops of pavements. It just smooths everything out and works on different terrains which is great for me because I love the outdoors.
“But the best thing about it is the first thing people see is me, not my wheelchair, because my old one made me look like I was sitting in scaffolding.”
Having come on so far in such a short space of time, Niall is now looking to the future. He plans to continue working with Matt Hampson Foundation and continue to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries - with more adventuring days still ahead of him.
He added: “It’s great having people to raise money for you but I also want to give something back, so I've been thinking about doing a sponsored abseil for the foundation and Spinal Injuries Scotland."
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