Overview

• Doctors say David Hayes is permanently paralysed from the chest down after a C5 fracture and C4–C6 spinal cord damage sustained while diving in Ibiza.
• He spent several weeks in an induced coma and underwent urgent surgery in Spain, where a titanium and artificial bone cylinder was fitted to stabilise his neck.
• After inhaling seawater he developed pneumonia and a collapsed lung, and although he has a tracheostomy he can now breathe for long stretches off a ventilator and manage some solid food.
• He is being treated in the UK at Derriford Hospital’s ICU and is on the waiting list for specialist rehabilitation at Salisbury Spinal Treatment Centre.
• His wife, Elly, is receiving radiotherapy for stage-one breast cancer, and a GoFundMe has topped £30,000 to help fund 24-hour care, therapies, and extensive home adaptations.