Niall’s recovery is progressing well

Niall said he was blown away when he first stood up again.

A Jedburgh man who was left almost completely paralysed from the shoulders down after a mountain biking accident says he was blown away when he stood up by himself for the first time.

After the incident almost three years ago, 41-year-old Niall Harris endured a nine-month stay in hospital and a further seven-month discharge to a nursing home, dreaming of the day he could once again eat unaided.

And the outdoor enthusiast is happy to share his journey to regaining movement has seen him do just that, as well as move into his own home and return to work in a school, things he and doctors feared may never again be possible.

Niall, whose accident was widely reported in the press, obtained a high-level spinal cord injury after taking a tumble on his bike and landing on his head, in August 2020. The public raised almost £27,000 for Niall, who wants to thank people and share how the funds have helped his progress. And he’s even setting his sights on a charity abseil to give back.

Niall Harris with his Opera Beds Signature Comfort profiling care bed.

Niall, who now lives in Leith, said: “At the time of the accident, specialists told me I was almost fully paralysed from the shoulders down and that it was likely I would be for life, but the goal posts have totally shifted over time, which is really positive.

“It’s not permanent at the moment, but I've since returned to work, working with children who need additional learning support. We’re still working through getting the adaptations put in place so I can work more, but it’s a positive thing which has brought some normality back into my life.”

This is a significant step for Niall, having previously worked as a climbing instructor and an outdoor education professional at a public school in Edinburgh.

But that all changed when he went over the handlebars of his bike at the Caddon Bank Mountain Biking Trail, in Innerleithen. He says immediately, he knew things were bad when his feet flipped up into the air and he felt a strange sense of ‘disconnection’ in his body as he lay on the ground, surrounded by his friends.

After he began specialist rehabilitation treatment, Niall was determined to not give up hope. And while he still has progress to make, his situation is a far cry from the time doctors feared he might be on ventilation for life without regaining movement.

Niall, who has now moved back into his own home, said: “With some funding I got a neuro physiotherapist to come in once a week and from there my progression just kicked off. I realised then the potential that was there, and I had much more hope.

“I remember the first thing Katie, my physio, said after looking at me was, ‘right, we're going to stand up now’ - and she got me to stand up from my chair.

“I was just blown away completely. It kind of threw me off for a while but it was the start of something special. I’d already been able to curl a toe, push my leg and lift an arm on the right side of my body by that point, and then it gradually started happening on my left side to the point where my muscles were strong enough to push myself up with my legs and lean forward in my chair.

“Now I can eat and drink from a table with my adaptive equipment.”