Just over 10 years ago, my brother was involved in an accident and broke his neck, leaving him paralysed from the shoulders down. He was just 22 years old at the time.

Trust me when I say paralysis is something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Sadly, the majority of spinal injuries occur in young men and people between the ages of 15-38. Even more sadly, there aren't currently any effective treatments for spinal cord injury. 

So, even though my brother dropped an axe on my head when we were kids!, here I am, taking advantage of my big 3-0 birthday and asking any friends who might consider buying me a birthday card, drink, flowers, diamonds, etc! to instead please consider making a small donation (whatever you can afford, every little helps :)) to spinal research. 

We are incredibly lucky that my brother has the most incredibly strong will and positive attitude towards life. His attitude has always been that "there's no point crying over spilt milk" and he has never complained or burdened anyone with the enormity of what day-to-day life must be for him. He is truly an inspiration and I just hope that one day, whether in his lifetime or not, there will be a breakthrough and a cure found for spinal injuries :)

 

Thanks for reading. Xxxxxx

 

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