My Spinal Cord Injury & Recovery
I am Zach Washington-Young and in September 2012, I sustained a Burst Fracture to my L1, which severed the majority of my spinal cord. I was diagnosed with an ASIA B “Motor Complete, Sensory Incomplete” injury and remained motor complete for 12 months. The head doctor of my spinal unit was so sure I would remain in my wheelchair for life that his prognosis, believe it or not, was “If he walks again, I’ll eat my tie...”
I found an incredible recovery center #PrimePhysio in Cambridge, UK. And I quit my law degree and moved there to train full time. I remained in the wheelchair for the next 3 years. Slowly but surely we started to get activation in the legs and I have trained relentlessly now for 5 years and am nothing short of a professional athlete.
Victory in the worldwide history of medical science and spinal cord injury recovery
I have hit milestone after milestone with my walking (follow my progress on @zach_wy) and am trained to walk all 26.2 miles of the London Marathon on April 22nd 2018. This will be a huge breakthrough and victory in the worldwide history of medical science and #spinalcordinjuryrecovery when I complete it.
I am an international level swimmer in the top tier of the World S6 times at the 50m freestyle (35.6 seconds), and have also recently started to play football again. I am an Ambassador for Spinal Recovery and I represent the Rooprai Spinal Trust (@rstrust). Through fundraising and completing huge endurance challenges which medical professionals would tell you are ‘impossible’, I now aspire to support others to go down the same path of recovery that I have done.
I want to help others with spinal cord injuries
I am also just another human being, and I believe that with the right guidance many more people with spinal cord injuries can follow in my footsteps!!! Please donate to this incredible cause: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ZachWashingtonYoung
