Loic Menzies was enjoying the final day of a climbing trip in Pembrokeshire when disaster struck. The 37-year-old fell 13m while climbing St Govan's Head, striking a ledge on his way down to the ground.
It left him with six fractures in his pelvis, spine, wrist, and lower back while he also suffered internal bleeding. He was flown by Wales Air Ambulance to Morriston Hospital in Swansea where he spent the next four nights.
"Miraculously the X-rays and MRI scans I had in the emergency department confirmed that none of my fractures were displaced so I was lucky in that sense," he said. "My first night was pretty strange in that I was processing what had happened and, at the same time, I couldn't move myself around the bed.
Read more: Dad suffers 'catastrophic' injuries after falling off a trampoline
"I had an incredibly kind nurse looking after me and somehow she managed to make me feel a lot less scared and lonely. That matters so much in a situation like that."
After regaining some movement Loic's recovery stepped up a notch after starting his rehabilitation. He recalled: "My confidence had been boosted when I got some mobility back and met the physios. Despite having six fractures they said they were going to get me walking.
"I was surprised but I'm always up for a challenge and was determined to recover as quickly as possible so I followed their instructions and hoisted myself up on the Zimmer frame. It turns out that being generally fit and training hard really pays off in these situations and soon I was hobbling down the corridor.
"That early success spurred me on to push further and the physios encouraged me to get onto crutches instead. I soon had a big grin on my face as I took my first, somewhat painful, steps."
Despite worrying his climbing days might be over, step by step his recovery proved both remarkable and inspiring – particularly for his fellow patients. They too played a big part in his rehabilitation, providing a sweet incentive that helped pave the way for his return home to his home in Cambridge.
"In order to be discharged I needed to be able to get up the stairs so the physios' project the next day was to help me conquer that," he added. "It involved teaching me a new way of doing so on crutches which was pretty challenging but I was delighted to discover it was possible. I could already feel the progress and that was enough for me to envisage a proper recovery.
"The elderly ladies on the ward helped me too. They taped sweets to the window at the end of the ward while I was asleep to encourage me to walk a few extra steps, which was a really nice thing to do. It was totally worth it as they rewarded me with a big cheer when I'd done it. The next day I was sent home to Cambridge to continue my recovery there."
Loic explained that it was really important for him to have a set of goals along the way including climbing by Christmas and mountaineering by Easter. "The doctors very quickly reassured me that I'd recover and the quick wins that the physios helped me achieve at Morriston Hospital gave me the confidence that I would be back at it relatively soon," he said.
"Given that climbing is such an important part of my life I'd have been devastated if I couldn't have gone back to it. What's really surprised me is that I've got almost no lasting pain."
Loic admitted there was a big risk that, from a psychological perspective, he I might have found it hard to get back on the rock. "That's where the softer side of human care made a difference. They made the experience much less traumatic than it could have been.
"I admired the professionalism of people's ability to understand me as a person including what would motivate me and how much to push me. It really showed me how all the different parts of the system work together and how everyone makes a difference – whether it be the member of staff offering you some extra soup or the nurse handing over key bits of information at the end of their shift. As in any big organisation people will get frustrated with the mechanics of it all but when you take a step back it really is an extraordinary machine full of brilliant people."
A year after his accident Loic managed to conquer three mountain ranges, climbing the Austrian, Dolomites, and French Alps. Completing that challenge, he said, would not have been possible if it wasn't for the care he received in Swansea as well as follow-up appointments at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.
READ NEXT
- The story of the 'miracle boy' who defied doctors' expectations twice
- 'My vulnerable teenage daughter was moved from Wales to Derby to access help for her mental health'
- 'I lost my fit and healthy dad to a sudden cardiac arrest'
- 'Active' 11-year-old diagnosed with leukaemia after mum spotted two telltale signs
- Risk of Alzheimer’s disease could be reduced with these lifestyle changes
