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'I dived into the sea and knew I'd broken my neck'

Jelenyela Pena Sebastian Pena is young with short brown hair. He is wearing a red and yellow swimming top. Behind him is the sea and land is on the horizon.Jelenyela Pena
Sebastian Pena was on holiday in Venezuela when the accident happened

"Almost immediately, when I was flipped over I told my dad 'I've broken my neck'. I couldn't feel anything and I couldn't move."

Sebastian Pena, known to his friends as Seb, was on holiday visiting family in Venezuela last December when his life changed forever.

While teaching his younger cousins how to dive into the sea Seb hit his head on the seabed, causing permanent damage to his spinal cord and leaving him tetraplegic. This means he is now paralysed from the neck downwards.

The 21-year-old from Oxford was brought back to the UK and has spent the past 11 months in hospital recovering from his injuries, and his family are now trying to raise the funds needed to bring him home.

"The main part of my life was going to medical school. I loved playing sports like volleyball and rugby and on top of that I did enjoy music and also tutoring," Seb says of his life prior to the accident.

Jelenyela Pena Seb Pena wearing a red jersey has a rugby ball in his hand. He appears to be in motion, and there is a rusty fence behind him.Jelenyela Pena
Before the accident, Seb was a keen rugby player

The medical student had travelled to South America alongside his family.

"One day, I was in the sea with my family and one of my younger cousins wanted me to show them how to dive," he says.

"As an example, I went first and in the process there was a shallow bit of sea and I hit that.

"That caused me to knock my head - I thought it was just an initial knock but it knocked my front teeth out and I sort of froze.

"After that I couldn't really move - I tried to turn over in the sea but I couldn't really move so I was face down, and I was lucky that my dad was nearby and he was able to flip me over and helped to carry me."

Jelenyela Pena A group of medicas are pushing a stretcher with seb on (covered in a blanket) towards a small plane.Jelenyela Pena
He was evacuated from Venezuela and flown back to the UK

In an instant the sporty young man had become permanently and irrevocably injured.

Seb says: "With a bit of knowledge from medical school I asked my dad to just do a quick touch test over my body to see where the level was and to see that he had a hold still - and I just knew immediately from there.

"At uni it's one of those things you learn about but never really think it would happen to you until it does."

After being rushed to a local hospital, Seb was flown home to the UK for urgent treatment at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.

Jelenyela Pena Seb in his hospital bed, with lots of equiptment atached to him. His brother is sat next to him and scrolling on a laptop propped up in front of Seb. In the background is a wall covered with images of Seb with his friends and family.Jelenyela Pena
He is currently in Stoke Mandeville Hospital

He was then relocated to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury.

Following the accident, Seb is now unable to walk, has no movement in his arms or legs and is reliant on a ventilator for his breathing.

The medical prognosis is that any further improvement is highly unlikely.

"Right now I'm okay, I'm still in the hospital waiting to go home," Seb says.

"It would be a lot nicer to be at home in a much more comfortable environment surrounded by family."

Jelenyela Pena Seb on a hospital bed has a hospital gown on, short black hair and a tube on his nose and throat. His mother is on his left, brother is above him, and his father on his left. The image has been taken on a hospital ward.Jelenyela Pena
The family are fundraising to make their home safe for Seb

Seb's mum Jelenyela has launched a fundraising campaign to make the alterations to the family's home in order for it to be safe for her son to move back.

"Home would be the best place for him to be - with us," Jelenyela says.

"The risk we have right now is the house is not ready for Sebastian to move into.

"Otherwise he will be sent to a care home - and I don't think anyone would like that for a 21-year-old young man."

The family is hoping to raise £250,000 to fund the changes - along with the purchase of a specialist wheelchair.

They have raised almost £70,000 so far on their journey to bring Seb home.

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