On July 11th, David Hayes was enjoying a well-deserved holiday with his family in Ibiza. However, the Briton suffered a spinal cord injury in a diving accident. In a twist of fate, his wife Elly was diagnosed with breast cancer.
For the family, the holiday in Ibiza was a way of saying goodbye to normality before Elly began months of chemotherapy. During that summer, David broke his C5 vertebra while diving, resulting in irreparable damage to his spine.
The Briton spent three weeks in an induced coma at a private facility on the island before being transferred to the intensive care unit at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, England, where he remains hospitalised.
David, 42, has been diagnosed with paraplegia. Doctors confirmed to his family that the damage is irreversible and that there is no chance of him regaining mobility. Even so, his family clings to the hope that, through intensive rehabilitation and medical advances, David will be able to regain his mobility.
David is currently on the waiting list to be transferred to the Salisbury Spinal Treatment Centre, a facility specialising in this type of condition.
His family is delighted with David's exceptional progress. He has now regained the ability to breathe on his own and swallow solid food. Meanwhile, his wife Elly is undergoing radiotherapy treatment, while also caring for their children and visiting her husband David every day.
The British government has provided them with financial assistance, although it is insufficient to carry out the necessary work on their home to adapt it to David's new condition. Even so, Elly has launched a campaign on change.org to raise funds to cope with this new life and to ensure that David receives the best treatment for the best possible quality of life.
The family would like to thank all those who have helped them in this time of need. They have also opened an account on social media to show David's progress. ‘Any amount donated will be greatly appreciated, and if you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this campaign with your friends and followers,’ Elly wrote in the post.