Alex Spooner, from Swansea, who was left paralysed from the chest down after a motorbike crash, will be carried to the top of Yr Wyddfa by around 30 friends on the anniversary of the accident.
The 44-year-old, from Llangyfelach, was riding his motorbike in Brynhyfryd, Swansea, on August 7 last year when he was involved in a serious crash with a car. He was in a coma for a month and spent nearly a year in hospital. He now lives in a specially adapted property in Swansea.
“I died, really. I shouldn't even be here. I don't remember anything about the accident,” he said. “There wasn't really a scratch on me, but my spine took on most of the impact.”
Friends to carry him up the mountain
Alex will mark the anniversary by going to the top of Yr Wyddfa, but he won't be walking. Instead, around 30 friends will take turns carrying him in a specially adapted wheelchair. Six people at a time will carry him, with the journey expected to take about eight hours to reach the summit and up to six hours to return.
“It's very emotional. I only have to think about what all my mates have done for me, and what they're doing for me on Saturday, and it makes me want to cry. It's incredible how much support I have had from everyone,” Alex said.
Fundraising for stem cell operation
Almost £8,000 has been raised through a fundraising page to help Alex travel to Istanbul, Turkey, for a stem cell operation that could aid his recovery and management of paralysis.
Alex's close friend Dan Edwards, who has known him since they were 16, is among those taking part. “On the day of the crash he was meant to come and work with me and I was going to pick him up but I got a message saying he had been in an accident,” Dan said. “Since that day Alex has had such a positive outlook on life. We're all looking forward to the climb. We've done a bit of a trial run up Kilvey Hill in Swansea, and it's a great bunch of boys coming with us.”
Despite the challenges, Alex remains grateful: “I've just had a granddaughter so I'm just so grateful to still be alive. I believe things are meant to happen, so maybe the crash prevented something else from happening. My life is totally different but I'm so grateful that I'm here.”
