‘I fell 110 feet down, I was lucky to survive’... Kells man paralysed in accident to take on London Marathon

A KELLS native now living in Norwich in the UK, who was paralysed in a work accident in 2001, will complete the London Marathon next year to raise funds for a charity that supports young wheelchair users.

Brendan Lynch, who is originally from O'Growney Terrace in Kells, told how he moved to the UK in 1997 for work and was working in the construction industry when he had a life changing accident in work in 2001.

Brendan was at work on a construction site when he suffered a fall that almost claimed his life and left him paralysed from the chest down.

"I fell 110 feet down, I was very lucky to survive. I was clinically dead twice and my family were called over and they were going to switch off the life support machine," recalled Brendan.

However, Brendan defied the odds and survived spending about a year in hospital before he began rebuilding his life. Despite the challenges of becoming a wheelchair user, he faced these with positivity and now wants to support young wheelchair users by doing this fundraiser.

"I just put my head down and got on with it. I have also always been a strong willed person and I had good family and a good support network behind me. I was lucky."

Brendan took part in his first marathon in his wheelchair in Dublin in 2018, completing the gruelling challenge in six hours and ten minutes.

Since then he has also completed the Manchester Marathon where he came second out of the wheelchair participants.

Now he has set his sights on the London marathon on 21st April to raise funds for Whizz-Kidz, an organisation that helps empower young people in wheelchairs to live fulfilling lives.

"Whizz-Kidz are all over Europe and do a huge amount to empower young people in wheelchairs and to help them to live a decent life," said Brendan.

He explained that the money he raises will go towards vital services for young wheelchair users and that Whizz-Kidz create opportunities for young wheelchair users to get the equipment, skills, and confidence to go further in life.

"It's unacceptable that young wheelchair users face so many obstacles in their lives. From inaccessible spaces to negative attitudes, it's time to change the status-quo urgently. With your support, we can create a world where every young person can reach their full potential," Brendan wrote on his Justgiving fundraising page.

Brendan still has a lot of family and friends living in Kells and Navan and is hoping to drum up support for this very deserving cause that as a wheelchair used for 23 years, is very close to his heart.

To make a donation click here www.justgiving.com