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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Megan Banner & Kieran Isgin

Dad left paralysed after slipping on ice - just weeks after getting cancer all-clear

A father-of-two was left paralysed from slipping on ice just weeks after beating cancer.

Neil Tracey, 59, was walking home after the England World Cup game on Saturday, December 10, when he slipped on ice while the country was experiencing unusual freezing temperatures for that time of year. As a result of the accident, he was left paralysed with no ability to move any part of his body.

He will remain in hospital for three months while undergoing rehabilitation. The self-employed mechanic is also unable to work due to the severe accident, so, his niece Rachel Selby, 27, has set-up a GoFundMe to raise money to help her uncle cover bills while he stays in hospital, Yorkshire Live reports.

Read more: The Greater Manchester streets where people are terrified of Christmas

Rachel said: "He was only a couple of doors away from his house when he slipped on the pavement - on the old council slabs one was just a bit higher than the other - and he slipped. He had his hand in his pockets because he was cold, so had nothing to break his fall and he hit his head on the wall.

"He was laid in ice for about an hour when a bloke came up and asked if he was alright. He was just laid in a pool of blood and couldn't even get his hands out of his pockets.

Neil Tracey has been left paralysed after slipping on ice (Rachel Selby)

"The bloke rang an ambulance which took a while to come, they said he was in spinal shock, he had an MRI scan which showed he has compressed his spinal cord and is now paralysed. It's scary how something can change in seconds.

"He has been lying counting ceiling tiles for two weeks and then he will be in rehab for three months. We're unsure if he will ever walk or have movement again - the hospital are not sure as to what extent his injury is and if his ability will come back again. It's a waiting game, but he wont be out of hospital for three months now."

All the money from the GoFundMe campaign will go towards Neil to help him pay bills and use it on his recovery at the northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

You can donate to the GoFundMe page here.

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