Ted is a man on the move… that is when he is at his happiest. Having been a competent racing cyclist with past success at national club-level motor racing, you get the gist of what makes him tick. That was all fine, until in 2018 while on holiday in Japan, he felt a nagging shoulder twinge and within 24 hours he was unable to move from the neck down. He was rushed to a hospital in Kyoto where tests confirmed that he was suffering from a rare neurological condition, Transverse Myelitis (TM), which causes inflammation and compressive lesions on the spinal cord. After 14 days he was flown home having lost 10kg and his mobility was very slowly returning after daily physiotherapy in the hospital.
After 2 weeks in an NHS hospital, upon discharge Ted was desperate to seek out specialist rehabilitation, aware that he had a very small chance of full recovery and that it would take a lot of hard work and targeted, intensive therapy… Hobbs Rehabilitation delivered.
A 4 week’s stay at the specialist inpatient service at Bramshott Grange, Liphook resulted in significant improvements in his overall mobility and it was clear that ongoing therapy at Hobbs Rehabilitation South East outpatient clinic could help him continue to reach his goals.
Spurred on by his progress, Ted spent 4 weeks in Bristol at our Upper Limb Clinic where a blended programme of treatment was tailored to his own goals and provided higher-dose therapy to optimise progress and recovery timeframes. The stats were a real driver for Ted; he needed to SEE the progress and the range of technologies available in this setting helped to maximise his input. This centre has since expanded to become Hobbs Rehabilitation Intensive Neurotherapy Centre, the only provider in the south of England, delivering a high-intensity rehabilitation program using the full Tyrosolution.
Ted is still the man on the move! Keeping in line with his passion for helping others and previous success’ at national club-level motor racing he has now achieved one of his 2021 goals. In September completed a sponsored bike ride up Mont Ventoux and raised over £30,000 for individuals with TM who desperately need intensive rehabilitation but unfortunately don’t have the funding.
I know I speak for everyone at Hobbs when I say that both riding up Mont Ventoux and raising such a large amount of money is a fantastic and selfless achievement. We would all like to say a massive THANK YOU to Ted; we and the patients you have helped appreciate your efforts and hard work, you are proof that setting goals can be a powerful motivational tool.
Since his onset of TM, Ted has kept a positive mindset and remained active. He has competed in lots of sports such as archery, wheelchair tennis, table tennis and competed and won medals in many events. We have no doubts that Ted will continue exceeding his goals and will have lots more to report over the coming months.