MONTHS after being told he may be paralysed following a cycle crash, a man has walked to thank those that flew to his aid.
Adrian Leake was airlifted to hospital by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) after a collision with a 4×4 while cycling on the A177 near Ferryhill on August 20.
He sustained a dislocated vertebrae and a compression fracture which resulted in him having eight screws and two metal rods fitted down his spine. He spent three weeks in James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough but despite his ordeal is now recovering.
Adrian, 33, a father-of-two from Rugeley, Staffordshire, said: “I was cycling from Newcastle to London in under 24 hours for Macmillan and was on my 30th mile when the collision happened.
“Initially, my family was told that I could be paralysed, so it is a big relief to be here and walking today.
“It is still a struggle. My wife has to drive me around and I can’t run after the boys like I used to, but without the charity’s help I’d more than likely be in a wheelchair.
“We all wanted to say a massive thank you to GNAAS for taking me to James Cook. Without them it could have been a different outcome, and because of the help I received it gives me the opportunity to watch my children grow up. My family are my passion.”
Adrian visited the charity’s airbase at Durham Tees Valley Airport with his wife, Louise, sons Ethan, three, and Xavier, two, and his father-in-law, Alan Williamson, on October 28.
Adrian said: “It’s been amazing to thank them in person and I guess it adds another piece to the jigsaw puzzle. It helps to puts things into perspective.”
Doctor Dion Arbid, who treated him after his incident, said this week: “It has been a pleasure to see Adrian and his family. It makes the job worthwhile. I hope he continues to recover well.”
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