A MAN who lost the use of his legs in a motorbike crash has hand-cycled the Berlin Marathon in aid of the charity which saved his life.
Sean Love, 43, of Cramlington in Northumberland, has completed the 26 mile marathon and raised more than £1600 for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).
Mr Love peddled the three wheel hand-cycle with his arms and finished the race in 1 hour, 30 minutes.
The father-of-three said: “When I was told I couldn’t walk again there was a real sense of hopelessness, but driving to the airport, getting on the plane and being at the start line was the best feeling in the world.”
Starting and finishing at the Brandenburg Gate, the BMW Berlin Marathon attracted over 40,000 athletes from lots of countries.
Mr Love said: “There was a great feeling of camaraderie being side by side with other athletes and wheelchair users. The air ambulance came to my rescue when I needed their help most. Since then, I have wanted to raise money as a way of thanks and it was fantastic.”
Mr Love came off his bike while riding between Alston and Brampton, Cumbria, in 2011 after losing control of the bike and careering into a dry-stone wall.
He broke his back in three places, fractured his ribs and sustained a punctured lung.
GNAAS medics treated Mr Love on scene and then flew him to Newcastle Royal Infirmary.
He remained in intensive care for two weeks before being transferred to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough. Afterwards, he spent six months in spinal ward rehab.
Mr Love made a recent trip to visit GNAAS paramedic Paul Burnage who treated him on scene.
Mr Burnage, himself a keen motorcyclist, said: “It was great to meet Sean and his family. It is inspirational to see a person coming back from such an injury with such positivity.”
To add to Mr Love’s total please visit https://www.createanddonate.co.uk/to/2013-berlin-handcycle-marathon/
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