A fitness fanatic is paralyzed after falling off a bike in a terrible bicycle accident, which means he may never be able to walk again.
Ki New, 20, cannot move down from his chest after flying over the handlebars and breaking his neck and spine.
But the family of the roofer from Fairford, Gloucestershire are “overwhelmed” by generous well-wishers who donated £ 30,000 to help him walk again.
Read more: Cheltenham archer Phoebe Paterson Pine beats best friend en route to Paralympic gold
Ki was out with friends in the Cotswolds when he suddenly had to brake and went over the handlebars in the accident on July 22nd.
He landed on his head and broke his neck before rolling over on his back and shattering his spine and five ribs.
Despite a six-hour operation when he arrived at the hospital, doctors warned that the injury to his spinal cord made him unlikely to walk.
Get the greatest stories from across Gloucestershire delivered to your inbox
Ki new after the accident in the hospital
(Image: The New Family / SWNS)
But the family hopes that he has a chance with specialized private physiotherapy.
Older sister Elisha, 22, set up a fundraising page to raise £ 50,000 to cover the cost of intensive physical therapy.
Incredibly, the well-wishers pledged more than £ 30,000 just a few weeks after the appeal was launched.
Elisa said: “He has been told that it is unlikely that he will go again.
“But the support we received drives and motivates Ki to keep fighting the tough days.
“Not knowing how much to charge, we put in £ 20,000 and broke that in 72 hours.
Ki new before the accident
(Image: The New Family / SWNS)
“We couldn’t believe the response, it was unbelievable and shows what a great person Ki is and how much support Ki and our family have, we couldn’t be more grateful.
“Ki wanted to die after the accident. He’s a roofer who needs strength and activity and when he’s done work he goes to the gym, I don’t know anyone who is more active than my brother.
“It is so difficult to tell people the severity. Because he is paralyzed from the chest down and cannot feel his stomach, he only has to do the Heimlich maneuver to cough.”
Ki was fit and active and went to the gym up to five times a week before falling victim to the freak accident.
After he could no longer feel his legs, Ki’s friends called an ambulance and Ki was admitted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
(Image: © The New Family / SWNS)
Ki’s mother said, “Getting that call and hearing that Ki couldn’t feel his legs was the worst news we could imagine.
“It was the worst time of our lives when Ki was in the hospital and the doctors heard him say that he probably won’t walk anymore.
“But there is a chance with this private physiotherapy – and we are overwhelmed by the response to the fundraising campaign, which gives it a chance.
“It was so difficult for Ki, but he’s much more positive now – he’s ready to fight again despite what the doctors have said.
“I really think if anyone can do it, it’s ki.
“He’s confident and experienced on a bike and a motorcycle so we never expected it, but an unusual accident can happen to anyone.”
The family learned that Ki had broken his neck, broken his back and dislocated, and also had a punctured lung and five broken ribs.
After undergoing six-hour surgery on his spine the next day, Ki has since remained in the hospital until he is strong enough to be transferred to an NHS spinal unit in Salisbury, Wilts.
Despite doctors’ warnings that he will likely never get the feeling in his legs back, the family is hoping that intense physical therapy and hydrotherapy can help him walk again at some point.
After Ki’s older sister Elisha learned that NHS physical therapy on its own wasn’t intense enough, she launched a Go Fund Me page to try to raise funds to go private after his NHS physical therapy ended.
To the complete shock of the family, donations quickly began – from family, friends and complete strangers alike – to get Ki back on its feet.
Ki’s mother added, “When the money came in, Ki was so overwhelmed by the reaction – we all are.”
With donations of more than £ 30,000, the grateful family says they have every belief that Ki will prove the doctors wrong and get back on their feet thanks to the support of kind donors.
She added, “What we’re going through is something I never thought we’d have to face – it’s really a family’s worst nightmare.
“But we all feel more positive now, including Ki, after seeing the support people have shown.
“He just wants to fight all the way, beat the odds and run again.
“But we are confident that he will make it – it won’t be easy, but if anyone can, it will be Ki.
“Whatever happens, we’re so proud of him.”
Would you like our best stories with fewer ads and notifications? Download our app on iPhone or Android
