The sensation James Stanley misses most is the squidgey feeling of wet sand between his toes. Sometimes it’s dangling his legs into cool water, and the feeling of soft grass under his feet.
“They’re very simple things, but when you haven’t felt them for seven years I just think it would be amazing to feel them again,” the 25-year-old said.
A rare surfing injury called surfer’s myelopathy paralysed Mr Stanley from the navel down when he was 19 years old. As he pushed up on his surfboard his spine hyper-extended, triggering a swelling and spinal cord blockage at his T10 vertebra.
He was diagnosed with complete spinal cord injury. All connection between his lower body and his brain had been permanently severed.
“It was very traumatic for me and my family … That first year I was an emotional mess,” Mr Stanley said. “I was just becoming an adult and…….Read More