A student rugby player who was left hospitalised for five months after suffering a broken neck and spinal cord injury during a match has praised the 'world class' care he received at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust after he was able to walk out of hospital.
Harry Bartlett, 21, an economics student at the University of Liverpool, was playing rugby against the University of Sheffield in December when he was injured going in for a tackle and was left unconscious and unable to move.
After undergoing two surgeries, a month-long stay in intensive care and almost four months rehabilitation at the Princess Royal Spinal Centre at the Northern General, he was able to walk out of hospital on April 28th.
Harry said: "Walking out was pretty special. It was such a relief. I'm 21 so I didn't want to let what happened ruin the rest of my life. I was determined to get back to as normal as possible. I want to thank all the people who looked after me - the surgeons, doctors, nurses, physios, occupational therapists and healthcare assistants. The care I received was truly world class from start to finish."
The injury happened when Harry took a head on hit going in for a tackle. He was on the ground for about 45 minutes, lost consciousness for a time and was unable to move.
He said: "I was in a bit of shock and initially I didn't know the severity of it. I thought it might be concussion. I was taken to A&E and had a CT and MRI and discovered that it was a broken vertebrae in my neck and a spinal cord injury."
The next day, he underwent the first of two surgeries to decompress his spinal cord and stabilise his spine before being admitted to intensive care, where he stayed for 35 days. He was intubated and placed into an induced coma to allow his body to rest, following which he had to get back to breathing by himself again. He was then transferred to the spinal injuries centre to undergo intensive rehabilitation, including learning how to sit, stand, walk and write.
Harry said: "After it happened, we didn't know what the future was going to look like for me. I couldn't move my body and was completely reliant on other people. But from the moment I arrived in hospital the care was outstanding. The first night we were in contact with the registrar who was incredible and explained the next steps which was really reassuring for me and my parents. The next day we met the spinal surgeons who asked some tough questions but were also very reassuring. The way they handled it made it easier for us. The care in ICU was truly incredible. They were on top of everything and I knew they just wanted the best for me and were looking after me. The respiratory team were also amazing - they were called numerous times during the night and were always there.
"When I was transferred to spinal injuries I think it hit me more what the severity of the injury was, because while I was in ICU I couldn't really take in what had happened. But they knew what I needed and how to push me in the right way. For four months it was constant support. The physios knew how to get the best out of me and the psychologists were really helpful in terms of having someone to talk to as well as family members or friends. There were some harsh truths, but quite early on they said they thought I would walk out of there which was great to hear because you knew they really meant it.
"It is hard to believe where I am now compared to where I started. For two months I couldn't even move my left leg. For my mum it was really emotional to see me walk out and regain independence."
After being discharged, Harry spent some time at home recovering but has been able to return to Liverpool to meet up with university friends and will resume his studies next year.
"Being able to go back and stay in my uni house, catch up with friends, go to the pub and do normal uni stuff was really fun. Walking is going well but my left hand is still not doing loads and struggling with gripping and pinching. Being able to do buttons and typing would be good. Stuff that you take for granted but is actually pretty important."
Harry will no longer be able to play contact sports due to the inherent risks, but hopes to be able to continue with an active lifestyle.
"I've been playing rugby since I was four or five and I've always been sporty, so it was a shock to hear that I shouldn't play contact sport ever again because it's been a big part of my life. I would like to get into things like running, cycling, swimming or the gym. After what happened, being able to continue living a normal, active life is the most important thing."
