A FUNDRAISING campaign has been started to raise enough money to secure special wheelchair adaptions for a West Belfast man following a horrific accident last year.
Stephen Ramsey (32) was out with his family for dinner in Antrim town last October. As he waited for a taxi, he sat on a wall outside the restaurant, where he leant back and fell 30 feet, landing on disused train tracks.
Stephen's screams of pain was eventually heard by a member of the public who contacted emergency services before he was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Hospital.
He suffered several broken ribs, a bleed in the brain, a collapsed lung, and a broken pelvis plus numerous cuts and bruises.
Stephen required emergency spinal surgery but after further complications including an asthma attack, he was transferred to intensive care.
He is currently in Musgrave spinal rehabilitation centre and is paralysed from the upper chest down and requires a wheelchair.
Due to severe spasms, Stephen is in desperate need of a specially-adapted wheelchair.
His sister Danielle has started a GoFundMe page in an attempt to raise enough funds to purchase the necessary wheelchair.
"Stephen's whole world changed within a matter of minutes last October," she explained.
"Stephen was a very talented painter and decorator and loved his job beyond the normal person, but due to this accident this job is no longer possible for him to complete which means income has changed drastically.
"The NHS are supplying him with a basic wheelchair which he is more than grateful for but due to the damage to his spinal cord he suffers from severe spasms and at present his wheelchair isn't adapted to help him keep completely safe.
"The cost of adaptions and extras for a wheelchair is more expensive than what we have or can or could possibly save in the next few weeks.
"I am hoping that maybe people who know him and love him can help out so that he can get these adaptions.
"Stephen will be released soon from hospital and and wants more than anything to live independently and live his life and take care and spend time with his two beautiful children.
"I know it is hard times for everyone out there financially but I really hope we can raise enough funds to help Stephen."
You can donate to the fundraiser for Stephen here.
