A man survived against the odds after
his skull was ripped from his spine in a car crash.
Tony Cowan, 29, suffered injuries similar to those suffered by
Christopher Reeve and was left paralysed following the crash in September last
year.
His car hit a speed bump before spinning out of control and
hitting a telephone poll in Newcastle. Only muscle and tissue prevented him
from being decapitated.
He suffered a complete spinal cord injury and there appeared
to be no brain activity so his partner of 10 years, Karen Dawson, took the
decision to turn his life support machine off.
But after she, his mother Pepsi Cowan
and the rest of his family had said their goodbyes, Tony opened his eyes.
His recovery has been so remarkable that he may soon be heading
home after months at Hawthorns Neurological Rehabilitation Centre in
Peterlee, County Durham.
The former bricklayer has learned to communicate through
blinking, mouthing words and using an electric communication board.
He said: ‘I love Karen with all my heart and I can’t wait to go
home to get back to the life I had.’
His mother said: ‘The consultants had
to make the decision to reattach his skull to his spine with a metal plate and
bolts, they had never done an operation like it before and we were informed
Tony would probably not survive – but again he pulled through.’
Karen, 28, added: ‘I love him so much and it would mean the
world to me to get him home. We were like two peas in a pod and spent all
our time together.
‘We are going to give Tony as much a normal life as possible, we
have assured him we will be there for him ever day, and he will never be
alone.
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