‘THINGS ARE ON THE UP AT THE MOMENT’
Surfer paralysed in freak accident looking to future as he battles to regain mobility
IT WAS something he had done hundreds of times before. Dan Richards, a keen surfer, went to Langland Bay in Swansea on New Year’s Eve last year, looking to bid farewell to 2023 by taking a cold water dip, with his partner Anna Thomas, her mum Jayne Trew and friend Sharon Nicholson in tow.
The 35-year-old led the way and dived into a wave. But as he dived into the water, the wave rotated his body, causing the back of his head to hit the sand, breaking his neck.
He heard a loud noise, saw a bright light, then opened his eyes underwater and saw his arms and legs but had no control over them.
In a state of shock and still in the water, the 35-year-old gas engineer focused on his breathing until he could lift his head to call out to the three women for help.
He was helped to shore by the three women and was then airlifted to Bristol Southmead Hospital.
It was there that he underwent lifesaving treatment for his injuries, including a C5 burst fracture which he said was removed and replaced with a cage, and fractures to C4 and C6 of the spinal cord. He was then moved closer to home at Morriston Hospital, Swansea.
Dan has since been transferred to the long-term rehabilitation facility at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff, where he is being treated at a specialist spinal unit. He has experienced ups and downs in that time, but explained how he is now making encouraging progress on his road to recovery.
Dan, speaking from hospital, said: “Things have gotten a bit worse, then got a bit better, then got a bit worse, but luckily things are on the up at the moment. Things are progressing quite quickly and I can’t really complain. I’ve managed to get into a self-propelled wheelchair, which is a step they said that wouldn’t be an option, but I’ve managed it. Everything all round has gone well.
“I’ve got controlled movement back in my right foot, movement back through both legs, which isn’t controlled, but I get movement in my legs through stimulation which is a good sign. I have got controlled movement in my core stomach muscles, movement in my shoulders, arms, hands, chest – all of these are below the level of injury, so they weren’t sure if any of these would come back at all. There is no update on my prognosis, it really just is taking it day by day, week by week, and see how much comes back and what comes back with the physio.
“I have occupational therapy in the late mornings, and that focuses on all fine motor skills and what you need for living, and then I have physiotherapy in the afternoon, which is everything lower limb, upper limb, balance work, transfer work, they have got some really sophisticated bits of equipment down there. For one session a week, I also get to do hydrotherapy, so I started that yesterday. It went really, really well. That’s what a day in the week looks like here. The facility here is fantastic.”
Dan described the experience of spending a prolonged time in hospital, now entering his fifth month being away from home. He also reflected on the day of his accident and how he had come to terms with it.
He said: “It’s up and down, good and bad – I’m lucky I have a good support network with Anna, family, friends and the staff here. It’s not easy. People who have not got a family like mine do really struggle with it. I’m really lucky with the support that I’ve got. It has been a long time, with quite a few challenges, but everything is good when you’re progressing. As soon as you feel like you’re not or have setbacks, that’s when it becomes difficult.
“It’s still pretty unbelievable to be honest. I have come to terms with it and accepted it for what it is, but getting my head around exactly what has happened is still difficult. I suppose, at the moment, I’m progressing and getting things back movement wise, physical things and body functions. It’s not too bad. I suppose once I get to a stage where I’m no longer progressing, that’s when it will really hit me if I haven’t progressed as I want to, but at the moment it’s OK.
“Getting in the pool was a big moment for me personally, as I even had improvement whilst I was in the pool – muscle groups started working that hadn’t worked since before the injury. And getting into the self-propelled wheelchair has been one of the biggest things so far, because we were told I’d need an electric wheelchair and this would be too much for us with this level of injury, and that’s what we’d have to accept, but we didn’t, we pushed! They had to physically see me using the chair before they were comfortable with getting someone to measure me up for a chair.
“It was a big deal for them because they didn’t believe I’d be able to use it. It gives me back some independence. Mobility is everything, and once you’re able to be up and about doing things for yourself, it opens the door and you just want to do more, and more, and more. It’s about piecing everything together.”
Anna said: “It’s hard, because Dan’s hands haven’t come back fully, you have got to grip the wheels, and so for them, they thought Dan’s fingers weren’t working, so how on earth was he going to be able to do it? But Dan is so forward thinking and has even got me to bring grip tape from the house and has put that on the wheels and we’ve got builders gloves and cut the fingers off so he has got more grip. He has said ‘I will be able to do this.’”
Discussing the next steps in his recovery, Dan said: “It’s very much more of the same, we’re working on transfers with the physios now. Once I can do transfers it will allow me to go home for the weekend, and have weekends out of the hospital. We’ve started doing standing work, to try and help with my legs and lower limb. The doctors don’t say a huge amount, I think they’re afraid of giving people false hope. It’s really hard to pin them down on anything, but it’s quite good here as they let you set your own goals, and we tick them off each month and move on to the next month.
“They’re happy with the progress I’m making. Sometimes I have to talk them into letting me do things. But once they see I can do it they’re happy then. I’ve definitely got to be a bit persuasive with them!”
A charity night has now been organised to raise money towards Dan’s rehabilitation. Taking place on Friday, June 21 from 7pm at Dunvant Rugby Club, tickets cost £30 and the price of admission includes live music and a Q&A session from rugby stars Mike Ruddock and Kevin Moseley, bingo and food supplied by Nellie May’s.
Anna said: “Our goal is to get Dan to come to the fundraising night. There’s about seven weeks to go. He can’t transfer yet. What we’ve found is how
difficult it is even trying to get a taxi for someone with a wheelchair, but as soon as he can transfer, we can get him into my car and we’ll have more freedom.”
Dan said: “That’s my big goal at the moment: to be there. I’m going to be dropping that bombshell on the doctors at my next meeting. By hook or by crook, I’m going to be there. That’s my goal, and it’s about finding a way to be there.
“For me, the support is pretty unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words what it means. That’ll help me progress.
“I have spoken to other patients who have been here and have had to pay for rehab outside of here, and they’ve spoken about how expensive that is and the stress of it, so this is a big weight off, knowing that we’ll be able to progress without those sort of stresses.”