Ripon: Teenager who was left paralysed returns to school

A teenager who was left unable to walk after falling on his head while he was exercising has returned to school.

Alan Nowicki, from Ripon, was left paralysed from the waist down in December and was anxious to return to school to study for his GSCEs.

A fundraising campaign in Ripon raised £20,000 in a week to pay for him to go to Poland for intensive rehabilitation.

The 16-year-old said he had initially believed he would have to postpone his GCSEs.

"I have realised that will not be necessary," he said.

Alan, 16, was hanging upside down from a pull-up bar in his bedroom when the bar fell.

The fall broke his back and crushed his spinal cord.

His mum Kamila Nowicki said: "The first question that Alan said to his spinal surgeon after the surgery was when can I come back to school?"

Alan's daily physiotherapy can take two-and-a-half hours, which does not leave a lot of time for schoolwork or free time, however it helps him to maintain his bone density and tones his muscles.

Before his accident Alan dreamed of being an RAF pilot and his family are trying everything to help him regain his mobility.

The intensive therapy in Poland involved four-hour long sessions each day of different therapies and exercises

It included stretching, physiotherapy and using specialist equipment to keep him mobile.

His mum said he only received four hours per week of therapy in the United Kingdom.

Mrs Nowicki said the therapy in Poland had made a huge difference.

"He can now shower himself, dress himself and get ready for school at 6 while I am still in bed.

"The brightest moment was seeing him swimming and seeing him standing up for the first time in the stand up frame and walking with the exoskeleton [external skeleton]."

The family are also looking for other alternative therapies abroad which might help him.

"I will not rest until I know that I have done everything, but it does not mean that Alan will walk again, but I have to do everything I can to give him the chance," Mrs Nowicki said.

She said they do want to balance Alan's exercise and rehabilitation with school and enabling him to maintain a social life.

Alan said he was "excited" to get back to school.

"I want to do well, get my A levels and be with my friends," he said.

"My friends have been kind and supportive all the way."

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