Spinal injury has been an ever-present feature in my life. My Uncle Alun sustained a spinal injury aged 29 whilst working at a construction site in South Wales, a few months after I was born in 1989. I was not old enough to remember the accident itself however it affected Alun and my family deeply. Practicing as a Doctor, seeing the effects this has on people’s families, and talking with my mother, Alun’s sister, along with his brother, parents, and son I truly understood how gut-wrenching the emotional rollercoaster was for our family in the immediate period following the injury. From the depths of despair, denial, and quite frankly not wanting to wake up the next day to eventual acceptance and gratitude for what he had. I have no doubt that some of those emotions have lingered and continue to do so for many of our family, it is inevitable with such a life-changing event. Spinal injury can be truly devastating and so much more than just the physical impairment. Fortunately for Alun, he came through that tough period and went on to make the very most of his life.
He was a remarkable man taking up water skiing, quad biking, and scuba diving to name but a few of his pastimes. He also worked tirelessly, 6 days a week, setting up his own haulage business and using a lift to assist him into the cabin of his lorries. But it wasn’t his achievements that impressed me most and the reason he was one of the most influential people in my life until he died at 59, it was how he conducted himself as a man. Kind, considerate, caring. People just loved being in his company and he made others feel good about themselves. He never held any bitterness towards the circumstances of the injury. I feel very lucky that his was ultimately a positive story, but many aren’t so lucky. My uncle has impacted my life tremendously, I went into medicine and am now qualified as an Emergency Medicine Specialist working in Australia, I have set a Guinness World Record for the fastest male Circumvention of the Globe by Tandem Bicycle, raising money for spinal research. I have also completed multiple 100+ km ultramarathon running events and am about to embark on the Marathon des Sables in April; a multistage ultra marathon over 6 days covering 252km in sand and 50-degree heat. Whenever I face difficulty not just in these races but in life, I still think of Alun, I think of him nearly every day. He didn’t complain, he just dealt with the problem right in front of him and found a solution and I will endeavour to do the same for the rest of my life.
He passed away a month before my world cycle which was ultimately for him and my way of showing him how much he meant to me. I remember him laughing, saying, “I will believe it when I see it” when I told him about the challenge, and that summed him up in a nutshell. A dry sense of humour and a never-give-in attitude. I am yet to meet a better man.
It is only a matter of time before we find a cure. I have witnessed firsthand the unbelievably hard work researchers are putting in around the world and have been fortunate to meet them and thank them. I really believe a cure will be found in the near future, and I wish my uncle Alun were still here to see it when a cure is found.
"I have witnessed firsthand the unbelievably hard work researchers are putting in around the world and have been fortunate to meet them and thank them. I really believe a cure will be found in the near future, and I wish my uncle Alun were still here to see it when a cure is found."