A man who met a woman on a dating app just six weeks before a horror cycling crash left him paralysed has revealed she stuck by his side – and now they’re engaged.
Ed Boyd had only just started getting to know Cass Humbert when he smashed into a lamppost after hurtling downhill at 65kmph.
The 30-year-old’s heart stopped twice at the scene before he was airlifted to hospital and placed into an induced coma for three weeks.
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But despite it being early days, Cass, 31, visited Ed in hospital and stayed by his side throughout his recovery.
A few months later, they were in love.
“My relationship is amazing and I’m overall probably happier,” Ed, from London, told Need To Know.
“After the accident, I was scared no one would want me.
“But despite us having a casual relationship before the crash, she kept coming to see me in hospital and we fell in love.
“I feel very lucky.”
When doctors began reducing Ed’s sedation in hospital after the crash, the full extent of his injuries became clear as he realised he could not feel anything below his chest.
Ed suffered a T7 spinal cord injury and was told he would never walk again.
He said: “I have zero memory of the day but I know I lost control going downhill and collided with a lamppost.
“Luckily the first people on the scene happened to be a fireman and a paramedic and they looked after me until ambulances arrived.
“I came around very slowly as they were weaning me off fentanyl.
“I was tripping and thought I was in various different countries.
“I remember being told I would never walk again, which was a lot to take.
“They did a test where they go down your body and test your sensation and I just couldn’t feel anything below my chest.
“I was honestly quite calm.
“Obviously it was upsetting and a lot to deal with but I do remember just thinking that I need to recover and move forward.”
Surgeons initially attempted spinal decompression and fixation, but his condition was so unstable the first operation had to be abandoned.
A second surgery was later completed successfully.
In total, Ed spent eight weeks at St George’s Hospital followed by another eight weeks at a specialist rehabilitation centre in Stanmore.
Before the crash, Ed was thriving.
He had a high-paying job in tech, lived an active lifestyle and was training for an Ironman.
His weekends were filled with golf and trips to watch Arsenal as a season ticket holder.
Now, Ed, who runs a marketing agency with Cass, says he feels more fulfilled than ever following the accident in September 2023.
After he was discharged, Cass helped care for him until he regained his independence.
Ed later proposed in Jamaica in May 2025 and the couple are set to tie the knot in Thailand next February.
Ed added: “My friends and family have been amazing and very supportive.
“Cass especially has been crucial to everything.
“Life is great.
“I have a beautiful fiancée and I’m far more fulfilled now than I was before the accident.
“I want anyone in a similar situation to me to know that eventually the challenges and setbacks stop and life gets easier.
“The worst has happened, so pursue what you have always wanted to do.
“It might be a little more challenging, but you can do it.
“Relentlessness is your new superpower.”
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