Paralysed Godalming man to ‘cycle’ from Guildford to Glasgow

Two years after being paralysed while working in Colombia as an English teacher, Godalming resident Dan Eley is set to begin a "virtual" Ride for Research of 550 miles to raise £10,000 for Guildford charity Spinal Research.

Dan was injured when he dived into a deceptively shallow river in the Amazon, breaking his neck at the C4/C5 vertebrae and leaving him paralysed from the elbows down.

“The time following my accident could be described as the most hellish of my life,” says Dan.

“I was taken to a hopelessly under equipped public clinic in a village in the middle of the Colombian jungle where I spent three days fighting for breath and facing death several times.”

He remains paralysed, with no sensation or movement below elbow level, and will be using an FES bike, which uses electric stimulation to contract the major muscles groups in the legs in a sequence that creates a cycling motion.

“I am aiming to raise £10,000 for Spinal Research by taking part in this event,” he says. “They are a great charity whose work offers real hope to people living with spinal cord injury.”

He plans to begin his ride on Monday January 9, aiming to cover the distance from Spinal Research HQ near Guildford to the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Unit in Glasgow virtually - the equivalent of around 550 miles.

• You can sponsor Dan at http://www.justgiving.com/DanEley.

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