Woodbridge teenager unable to move below waist after swimming pool accident

Ryan, 16, celebrated being exam-free like thousands of other GCSE students this summer.

However, an accident in the swimming pool changed the course of his life.

After jumping into a pool, the teenager from Woodbridge in Suffolk hit his head, suffered a spinal injury and was unable to move below the waist.

The mother of one of his friends, Kate Hayward-Brackenbury, was keen to help him recover and has raised over £10,400.

“Ryan was at a get together at a friend’s house and was just enjoying the summer holidays. They had completed their GCSEs in June and were having fun,” said Ms Hayward-Brackenbury, 49, also from Woodbridge.

“He jumped into a swimming pool but unfortunately he did too much diving and sustained a very serious spinal injury.

“They call it a C3 spinal injury, where a bone at the very top of the neck is severely damaged and can put some pressure on the spinal cord.

“This led to varying degrees of loss of mobility.”

Ryan was taken to intensive care at Ipswich Hospital and placed in an induced coma.

The nerves near the spinal cord, at the C3 vertebrae, can have an impact on a person’s breathing and lung clearing ability.

Because of this and the damage to his spine, Ryan required ventilation and had a tracheostomy to ease his breathing while he was in a coma.

“The first three days were very hazy and then very quickly he was back as we know him, Ryan, but unfortunately with no mobility from the waist down and limited mobility of his arms and hands,” Ms Hayward-Brackenbury added.

As Ryan’s general health improved, he was moved from the intensive care unit to another ward.

A few weeks after the accident, he developed more mobility in his arms and was now able to maintain his grip for short periods of time

However, he is still unable to move from the waist down.

It was hoped he could eventually be transferred to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, where the internationally renowned National Spinal Injuries Center is located.

“It’s just a matter of waiting there for a spot,” Ms Hayward-Brackenbury said.

“It will help him live the best life possible.

“He’s very determined – he’s quite funny, he says ‘I’m going to Stoke Mandeville and becoming a sidekick, I’m going to get really strong and fit’.”

To help Ryan recover, Ms Hayward-Brackenbury was keen to raise funds.

She regularly takes part in runs and with an ultramarathon already planned, she decided to use the event as a kickstarter for the Run for Ryan campaign.

As time went on, more and more people got involved and helped raise money for Ryan with their own running events.

Ms Hayward-Brackenbury said the response was “overwhelming and amazing”.

“It was pretty uplifting [Ryan and his family] to see so many people care about her,” she added.

The team originally set a fundraising target of £1,500 but have now raised over £10,400 which will go towards his rehabilitation needs, including hiring a wheelchair accessible trip when he gets out of hospital.

“Ryan said if there was any money left over he would donate it all to charity,” Ms Hayward-Brackenbury said.

“He wants to help others and that attitude really energized people.”

“That’s how he is, he’s always thinking about other people.”