How a fall from a ladder changed a man’s life
A young Welshman travelling in New Zealand with his girlfriend has had his life turned upside down after being left paralysed in a workplace accident.
Matthew Williamson, 30, and Justine Bennett, 26, travelled separately to NZ in January 2016 and met soon after.
Almost two years on, English-born Bennett, who is a nurse in Auckland Hospital’s Emergency Department, has found herself beside a ward bed for a much different reason.
Ten days ago Williamson, an industrial abseiler, hit his head on a hatch while climbing a fixed ladder. He was knocked out and fell 4m, severing his spinal cord.
The incident has left the gymjunkie paralysed from the chest down. He also punctured a lung, fractured his sternum and had a small brain bleed.
Bennett said: “As a nurse I wasn’t expecting something life-changing to happen to someone so close to me.
“I felt quite heartbroken and quite fearful about Matt’s future and how it would impact on our lives.”
Williamson, his girlfriend and his father, who has arrived from the UK, are trying to address his injuries in a positive light.
“You want to be strong and you want to be positive in your outlook because there is no way those cards can be dealt again,” Williamson’s father Nigel Williamson said.
Nigel said his natural reaction was to become a campaigner for disabled people.
“Obviously I am devastated about what has happened to my son, I want to get him home and back to the family, but we are very grateful to the doctors and nurses and overwhelmed by the emotional response to it.
“I think there is a bigger issue to take on here and that is to try and drive forward better cures and raise understanding.”
Bennett said her boyfriend was an avid sportsman, who was strongminded, caring and lovable. The couple had discussed returning to the UK and starting a family.
“Now we have come to terms with the fact it will be a different life but we can still do all the things we wanted to do, it will just take a little bit more time and be a bit more difficult,” she said.
After surgery on his spine at Middlemore Hospital, Williamson is facing eight weeks of recovery at the Spinal Rehabilitation Unit.
To donate to his recovery fund, go to Let’s get Matthew Home!! on Givealittle.