I woke up in the bottom of the ravine in agony. I was paralysed, I couldn't move at all. Luckily I had landed on my back, otherwise I would have drowned in the stream. Ten minutes later my friend arrived. I had a mobile but it had got soaked in the fall in the stream and didn't work.
He found some kids who were fantastic and were a real help to me as they spoke to me to reassure me while he called for help.
The helicopter arrived about half an hour later. The medics on board were great, really professional and they quickly gave me morphine to dull the pain. Getting me onto the helicopter was a nightmare, as they first had to get me out of the ravine, and then take me to the field where the helicopter had landed.
The journey to Grenoble CHU lasted only a few minutes. I was gutted as I had always wanted to have a ride in a helicopter and all I could see was the pilot's boots!
When I landed they transferred me to "dechocage" where they started to scan me, x-ray me, and work out what was wrong. The quality of care I received in France, from this point on, was second to none. I had badly broken my pelvis twice, the pelvis was so badly broken that my leg was no longer properly attached to my body. I had also broken my lower verterbrae, four ribs and my corracoid (shoulder) and had internal bleeding, and concussion. As my Mum used to say to me, if you are going to do something, make sure you do it well. I had certainly done my best, there was no doubt about that!
From there on I had a first minor operation so that they could put me in a sort of frame, with weights that would push my leg against my body. I spent four days in total in intensive care. The worst bit about that was the lack of light. I had no idea what time of day it was and obviously never slept properly as I was in a lot of pain, despite the morphine pump. I then had an operation to put a nine cm bolt in the top of the pelvis and a plate in the bottom half, plus two screws in my shoulder. The operational went really well, I was lucky enough to have had a fantastic surgeon, Jerome Tonetti. The post-operational pain was appalling, much worse than the accident. I had a transfusion to replace all the blood I had lost from the haemorrhage.
I was then transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation centre in the mountains at St Hilaire du Touvet. I had to spend six weeks laid flat and wasn't allowed to sit up. After this time I was allowed to sit and also get into a wheel chair. I was really well looked after at St Hilaire, Didier and Edith Miranda, my physios up there have since become really good friends, and I was really lucky to be looked after by some really friendly and prefessional Doctors and nurses. I was finally discharged in November, a total of three months after the accident.
Three months later, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Not much you can say about this one. It came as a big shock, but as my Doctor said to me - its gotta come out. I knew he was right but it was still really frightening. They booked me in for the op a week later. It would have been earlier but I had to come off the blood thinners I was on, as I had had a pulmonary embolism at St Hilaire. It was at this point I really felt that someone really had it against me!!! Anyway they whipped it off, I had a flash chemo course and I am now fine. Thanks again to a great Doctor (Dr Moalic of Medicedres) and great medical care in France.
Two years later I am fighting fit. I remember lying in bed when I was in Grenoble CHU saying to my wife "I just want to be able to play with the kids in the garden, if I can do that I will be happy". Two and a half years later, I can do that plus a whole lot more - I have a lot to be grateful for.
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