"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

Salford-based Paramedic Paul Harvey has had an incredibly difficult 12 months – In July last year, he was involved in a serious cycling accident after hitting a piece of debris on the road at high speed. He suffered traumatic head and potentially life-changing spinal injuries.

Thankfully Paul survived the accident and has been on a gruelling road to recovery ever since.

Your Call talked to Paul about his accident a year on from the life changing event.

“I had been cycling for over ten years before the accident and had worked my way up to owning an incredible bike, I used to call it my ‘Porsche of a road bike’. I went out on it one day and got 300 yards down the street when I remembered I hadn’t checked the tyre pressure. I went back, checked it and set off on my bike again. I don’t remember anything else about the day or the accident. ”

Despite wearing a helmet, Paul ended up in critical care for two weeks, unconscious after suffering from a bleed on the brain, a fractured spine, multiple facial fractures and three fractured ribs. He underwent spinal surgery and had metal rods placed in his mid-spine.

“From what I have been told, my colleagues who came to help me that day realised as soon as they had arrived to the scene how serious my condition was. I’ve been advised I was bleeding from my ears and highly agitated thrashing around. My colleagues, who didn’t know me at the time, made the decision to call in the North West Air Ambulance to provide enhanced pre hospital care.”

“ I don’t remember being in critical care for two weeks, but I do remember

waking up once I had been moved from critical care unit to the trauma assessment unit. I had no idea why I was there and at the time I was sure I was being held there against my own will. I remember convincing myself that if I made it to A&E, I could find some colleagues and they would help me escape. I now realise that these strong thoughts and feelings were part of suffering a traumatic brain injury - I really wasn’t myself.

When the air ambulance arrived, the doctor made the decision to put Paul into a medically induced coma to protect his brain and his spine. After receiving vital treatment at scene, Paul was taken to Salford Royal Hospital by our ambulance crew.

“I went through all sorts of emotions, anger, upset you name it. I gave the hospital team looking after me a difficult time on one particular day and I was so aware of it that I apologised. My experience as a paramedic made me appreciate the things they did for me and I wanted them to know that this wasn’t me.”

Paul says it was the whole team of people that helped to save his life that day, from the person who called 999, to the call handler, to the ambulance crew, to the air ambulance doctor, the staff at the hospital, the consultants and the occupational therapists and physio team. An effort by all of them he will never forget.

“Without all the interventions, it could have been a completely different story for me. The fact that I’m still here for my family and I’ve got my life back – I want to thank them to the end of the earth.”

Although the road has been long, Paul has astounded his consultants and therapists with his continued strength and determination in his recovery. In addition, he started back at work early February this year – seven months after his accident.

“My managers have been so incredibly supportive throughout this whole time, and I have returned now on alternative duties which has been a good introduction back into work. It is very different being station based, as I do like to be patient facing helping people, but I will just take each day at a time in my continued recovery.

“It is only in the last few weeks I have been able to run on the treadmill again – this week I managed to achieve a 2k run in under 13 minutes. I live by the motto - what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

We wish you the best of luck Paul with your continued recovery.