Hey Everyone,
My name is Dan and I'll be taking part in a 140 mile coast to coast cycle (C2C), for an amazing charity called Back-Up (BU), and they need our help! I am very passionate about this charity as they have helped, and still are helping me come to terms with my injury.
In June 2009 my life was turned upside down after a motorbike accident which left me paralyzed from the ribs down, I was only 21 years old. After this I spent a long time on bed rest in hospital and as you can imagine, that gave me a lot of time to think. To think about what the future held for me and getting my head round my new life in a wheelchair.
While in hospital I was introduced to a mentor from BU by my family after they attended a relatives day. Since then BU have followed me, answered my questions and introduced me to the wider network of BU, where I've met some fantastic and inspiring people. BU have helped me personally by inviting me to confidence building workshops, multi activity courses, wheelchair skills sessions and just by being on the other end of the phone when I needed them, whether it be holiday advice or setting up my wheelchair etc.
Last year I went on a multi activity course in Keswick, Cumbria. It was by far the best week I've ever had! The people I met on the course were amazing and it is definitely a memory that will last a life time....
Following this I travelled to Egypt with Barry West (who works for BU) and a few others, I even completed my PADI Open Water scuba diving course. Something I never thought would be possible.
Thanks to BU I now know I can achieve anything despite my disability and believe the sky is no limit!!
Back-Up are not government funded and need our kind donations to continue changing the lives of spinally injured people like myself!
I'm looking forward to riding the Coast to Coast in May with my girlfriend Sarah Hunter along with friends James Dixon, Matt Boyce and Fran Hillier.
All donations are greatly appreciated - large or small, they all add up!! :-)
