“Wouldn't it be great to get him back to the beach...to feel the sand between his toes?”

Wednesday 10 January 2018

The family and friends of a young surfer who has lived in a specialist UK unit since he was paralysed in a car accident three years ago say they’re determined to bring him back to his beloved island home.

Olly Newman (22) was left unresponsive after an uninsured driver slammed into his car at over 70mph as he pulled out of Le Port car park near the Five Mile Road – one of his favourite spots – in October 2014.

The accident saw the young musician lose all use of his limbs and torso, with fears over whether he would be able to walk and talk again.

 Pictured: A snapshot of the variety of fundraisers by Peas and Glove last year.

Since then, he’s missed out on four Christmases – in 2016, he spent the festive period in the High Dependency Unit at Epsom General Hospital. But despite difficulties, Olly has been making small steps in his recovery. 

Thanks to colourful fundraising efforts by his ‘Peas and Glove’ family – a charity effort based on Olly’s favourite phrase – he’s been able to access state-of-the-art rehabilitation equipment, including a new wheelchair and communication technology. 

That, coupled with a change in his medication, has helped Olly reach a milestone in his recovery. 

“As we have been asked so many times, 'Do you think he recognises you?', for the first time really with some certainty we would say 'yes',” the Peas and Glove team explained.

Video: Olly, a talented musician, could benefit from music therapy - he'll be trialling some this year.

“Communication is a very vital thing to establish. Even simple binary responses would allow everyone around him to understand if he is too hot, feeling unwell or just wants to sit and watch some YouTube videos of himself and [his friend] Kyle beatboxing in the back of a van!

“…Olly is giving opinion and answers to a number of questions. Whilst being supported, he does this by moving his head to the left for 'yes' and to the right for 'no'. The therapists have created a unique method to observe his answers, to ensure that they are not using some good old optimism to encourage the right responses… In other sessions, Olly has chosen colours and sounds and, using a specialist spelling board, on one occasion spelt his own name. There is a lot going on in that head of his!!”

The team are also hoping to fund hydrotherapy, and Olly will also trial professional music therapy early this year. “Water and music will be a strong combination and could really bring on his progress,” they said.

But nothing can quite beat the sand and sea of home. The Peas and Glove collective are now taking their first steps towards making the young surfer’s return to his island home a reality.

Pictured: Olly's friends and family are hoping to be able to bring him back to Jersey so that he can enjoy the island's beaches once more.

They’ve now appointed a case manager to analyse Olly’s current care arrangements, and consider how his return could work.

“But as you can imagine, it's complicated. But wouldn't it be great to get him back to the beach, to smell the sea, feel the sand between his toes and be back with friends and family? By having a case manager, it has meant that many of the responsibilities we have been undertaking will be handed over, and we can get on with being his parents, family and friends again.

“We are now three years into this journey. At times if feels longer. But we all keep going because he keeps going. He is unrecognisable from where he was when he last left Jersey in February 2015. He has put weight back on, his wounds have healed and his hair has certainly grown! Among many others, there is a message on his bedroom wall: 'The man at the top of the mountain didn't fall there, keep climbing'.”

2017 saw a ‘Permanent Ollyday’ festival, a special wedding in which all the present money of over £1,000 was donated to Peas and Glove, an OAP-themed New Year's Eve party among many other tie dye fundraisers. But, like Olly, the team intend to ‘keep climbing’ and make 2018 an even bigger success.