A British man who broke his neck while diving into a swimming pool in Turkey is back in the UK after £150,000 was raised to bring him home.
Will Ponter underwent a 13-hour emergency surgery in Antalya, and doctors said the 24-year-old would be paralysed from the neck down.
Will from Carnforth, Lancs, was flown home by the UK aeroplane ambulance charity Lia’s Wings, as reported by Need To Know.
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A spokesman for Lia’s Wings said: “After being contacted by Will’s family, Lia’s Wings arranged a specialist air ambulance to bring him safely back to the UK.
“Will arrived home on Sunday and is now in the care of specialist clinicians.
“This has been an extremely distressing time for his family, and we will continue to provide ongoing support for as long as they need us.
“We’re also deeply moved by the community support that has helped make his journey support possible.”
Charlotte Young, chief operating officer at Lia’s Wings, said: “Will, and his friends and family, have shown true bravery, and the kindness shown by the public continues to be truly life-changing for this family.
“We are glad Lia’s Wings could play our part in Will’s journey and will stay with his family for as long as they need us.”
Will’s girlfriend Becky Francey said everyone who donated ‘really restored my faith in humanity.’
She said Will was stable in hospital in Lancaster after ‘a really long 10 days trying to get him back’ and will be transferred to the Royal Preston Hospital for further treatment.
She said the visiting hours were better here so they can see him a lot more of him.
The family still ‘don’t know’ what the future holds until he is no longer sedated and comes off ventilation so ‘they can assess the damage he’s done.’
“The doctors at Lancaster are amazing at keeping us informed,” Becky said.
“Now we can just concentrate on letting the doctors do what they need to do.”
She said: “It is definitely a relief to be back in England but it’s also tough being home, I haven’t spent much time at our house because he’s not there.
“While he’s intubated, he can’t talk to me and I miss him so much.”
The fundraising page launched by Will’s family raised £152,452.
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