I feared I’d never be a dad after snowboard crash... now look at me!
THIS is the happy family portrait Tom Nabarro thought would never become a reality.
Paralysed from the neck down in a snowboarding accident, he feared any prospect of fatherhood had been snatched away from him.
But smiling as his wife and son perch on his lap, he is clearly revelling in being a dad.
His wife Ellen gave birth to their son Ori – whose name means ‘my light’ in Hebrew – six weeks ago.
Unable to enjoy the cuddles and games most parents take for granted, Mr Nabarro will hum Ori tunes and read him stories.
Ori loves the sensation of curling up on his chest, soothed by the rise and fall of his father’s breathing.
Mr Nabarro, 33, from Standlake, Oxfordshire, said: ‘Not being able to have children was one of the things I worried about most. So to finally have a baby of our own is absolutely incredible. We have been enjoying every moment with our son so far – every squawk, gurgle or pigletlike noise.
‘I would love to hold and cuddle Ori in a hands-on fashion but instead we are focusing on the things I can do, like reading him stories, having him lie on my belly and listen to my voice.’
The software engineer almost died when he dislocated his neck in the snowboarding fall in Bulgaria in 2007. He suffered three
‘It’s something we had dreamed of’
cardiac arrests and was unconscious for three weeks.
He spent over a year in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, with girlfriend Ellen by his side.
In 2008 he was finally discharged and the couple moved into a wheelchair-adapted home.
Mr Nabarro proposed in October 2010 and they married two years later. His condition hasn’t stopped them from having a normal sex life but they were worried a family might not be possible.
‘Ellen and I had talked about having children. It was something we’d always dreamed of,’ Mr Nabarro said.
‘We spent a few years focusing on our careers and enjoying our active social lives before we started trying for a baby, but life has never been simple.
‘Most doctors were quite positive, but you don’t necessarily believe it can happen.
‘Of course, they are hopeful, but it’s not until you talk to people who have been through a similar position that you start to think it might be possible.
‘When we found out Ellen was pregnant we were so happy and just felt a huge sense of relief. It was hard seeing friends and family become pregnant. When we did conceive the reality didn’t really hit us for a little while.’
Mrs Nabarro said: ‘I had a great pregnancy. Thankfully I didn’t suffer too much sickness. We decided to keep the baby’s gender as a surprise.’
Ori was delivered at John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford, on March 14 weighing 7lb 6oz.
He had a tough start after chest X-rays and blood tests revealed he had meningitis, but has fully recovered. Now the Nabarros are relishing their new life as a family of three.
The couple have nicknamed their son ‘BOJ’ – for ‘bundle of joy’ – and hope to give him a brother or sister one day.