John and Angela
John and Angela Pye got involved with nsif in 2011 after their eldest son, Steven, contracted a virus on his spine that caused paralysis from the chest down. That was in the summer of 2007, and the prognosis from the doctors was that he would never walk again. However, his absolute determination and commitment to rehabilitation and physiotherapy has seen him improve to the extent he is now able to walk with sticks.
His efforts inspired his parents to take up the challenge and raise awareness of, and funding for, a treatment for spinal injury. When they found out about David’s story, they felt an immediate affinity for what David and his family had been through. They recognised the desperation of a parent trying to do everything possible for his son, and wanted to donate their time towards furthering nsif’s cause.
Undeterred by being told such terrible news, they never gave up hope and promised Steven they would do all that they could for him to walk again. They set about researching possible cures for spinal injury. Meanwhile, the family sourced privately; physiotherapy, podiatry, acupuncture and reflexology, and Steven worked extremely hard with daily exercises and is now able to walk short distances with walking sticks.
After a lot of dead ends, they eventually found us, the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation, a small charity supporting promising research into spinal cord injury.
After visiting the London branch of the charity, they set about straightaway to establish a Hull and East Riding branch of nsif. Since then, Angela and her family have raised an astonishing £103,000 through various fundraising events.