Spinal Research Ambassador
Hi, my name’s Dan and I’m a Spinal Research Ambassador and this is my spinal cord injury story. I’ve been a paraplegic wheelchair user for 9 and a half years, due to my drink being spiked on a night out and falling off a 23ft bypass. Since then, I have trialled different stimulators and other technology to try and defy the odds of being able to walk again. But the strongest tool in everyone’s arsenal is self-belief. Believing in yourself is one of the most important things to beating a SCI. Anything is possible!
Watch Dan in our video to find out who we are, why we exist, and why your support matters.
Dan Woodall, 33, from Rainham, Kent, experienced a life-altering event on June 5, 2016. After a night out with friends, Dan woke up in a ditch at 5.30am with no recollection of what happened. Doctors later informed him that his drink had likely been spiked, and the accident left him paralysed from the waist down. “I walked out of my house that night but didn’t walk back through the door,” Dan recalls. The injury, a complete T11-T12 ASIA A spinal cord injury, also deprived him of bowel and bladder control.
Determined to reclaim control over his life, Dan joined the Pathfinder2 trial. Through the use of a pioneering stimulation device combined with activity-based rehabilitation, Dan experienced notable improvements. The device managed to stimulate the sensory nerves in his bladder and bowel, allowing him to sense when he needed to use the toilet – a change that has profoundly restored his dignity and independence.
Dan
Dan’s journey during the trial has been both inspiring and transformative. “I’ve also regained some bowel and bladder control – something I was told in hospital might never happen,” he shares. “Being able to lift my leg and move it around after being told I would never be able to move my legs again is a big achievement.”
While Dan is encouraged by the progress made, he remains hopeful that this technology will soon be available on a wider scale. “The fact that the gains have continued after the trial is really encouraging, and I can’t wait to see where this goes. I just hope it won’t be too long before this technology becomes widely available.”
Dan talks about his participation in the Pathfinder2 Trial.
