my story and spinal injuryhi if you are interested in my storyI woke up one morning in hospital surrounded by nurses who told me I had contracted meningitis and I was shocked, but thought nothing of it. However, things were far more serious than I...

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my story and spinal injuryhi if you are interested in my storyI woke up one morning in hospital surrounded by nurses who told me I had contracted meningitis and I was shocked, but thought nothing of it. However, things were far more serious than I had imagined. My spine was swelling, crushing my brain and i had to be rushed into theatre where they operated to save my life. I am extremely lucky to be alive. This resulted in me being paralysed, on a ventilator to breathe fed through a tube and unable to swallow. At first,all I could do was blink and so the only communication I had was to blink for yes and no. So I could not ask for simple things like water or ask what had happened to me. After 10 days in Calgary hospital intensive care, drifting in and out of consciousness I was flown back to England in an air ambulance and spent 5 months in gloucester royal hospital intensive care where I could move my mouth a bit but still I couldn't speak. i had trouble breathing, blacking out several times and got used to having nurses standing over me, clearing my chest so the ventilator could bring me air, without this i was unable to breathe. thanks to the cogain project i was lent an eye gaze computer which enabed me to communicate and use a computer with my eyes, and smartbox helped to support me with this. I left the hospital and went to Salisbury Spinal Unit where i got my voice back which was a massive relief after having had months of lip reading and frustration. I was so relieved to be able to speak again and despite it being very difficult I also became able to move my head a bit. After being discharged, I decided to study media A level and chose to make a film to raise awareness of meningitis and spinal injury because people don't know anything like enough about it and how it can turn your life upside down in the blink of an eye. Throughout this whole ordeal, I've been supported by my fantastic family and friends, nurses and carers who have helped keep me strong and pull me through thick and thin and I want to thank them for everything. music has also kept me positive and kept me strong, and I have learnt that you cannot take anything for granted, that there is much more to life than you imagine, and music has been an inspiration to me. if you could have a link to my film of spinal injury to raise awareness that would be great because I feel strongly that people need to be aware of the issue and know more about it. I have also been pushed along the last checkpoint of the 5valleys walk in the stroud valleys to raise money towards the meningitis trust. this was a walk Iused to do every year prior to contracting meningitis to raise money for the trust. I have also been to gloucester ski centre in a specially adapted wheelchair to watch the summer race league, an event that I used to take part in before my injury it was there that I learnt to ski and also there that I trained as a ski racer to race in slalom ski racesalso I have made a film of my story and spinal injury to raise awareness of spinal injury as part of the media studies course that I am now studying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKSRJflx0JQ&feature=channel_page

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