TEAM BRIT HELP PATIENTS ON ROAD TO RECOVERY

TEAM BRIT HELP PATIENTS WITH SPINAL INJURES ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY O

drivers visited two NHS hospitals over the summer to give recovering patients a taste of life in the fast lane.

Patients with spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire and Salisbury Hospital in Wiltshire have experienced what it’s like to compete as a disabled racing driver at the very peak of motorsport, after Team BRIT paid them visits in recent months.

In July, drivers Paul Fullick and Chris Overend visited Stoke Mandeville with our top-of-the-range racing simulator, to give patients a taste of racing. Paul is a lower leg amputee following a motorbike crash, and Chris is a wheelchair user as a result of development dysplasia of the hips.

And a couple of months later, drivers Steve Crompton and Tyrone Mathurin dropped in on patients in Salisbury Hospital to do the same. Steve is a former patient at the hospital having suffered a spinal injury following a car crash, and Tyrone has limited use of one side of his body after a motorbike accident.

The state-of-the-art simulators are equipped with our advanced hand controls and give users the chance to try out the technology on sim-versions of iconic UK racing circuits. The drivers took the opportunity to show patients how to use the controls, as well as to share their own experiences of recovery and racing with the team.

One of the Stoke Mandeville patients who took to the track in the simulator was Cedric Bloch, who has a t4a complete spinal injury, meaning he has no feeling from the chest down and uses a manual wheelchair. Cedric’s arms and hands remain fully functioning, so he was able to use the hand controls pioneered by our team.

Cedric said: “The race simulator from Team BRIT was breath-taking. For 30 minutes, all the pain of being in a wheelchair went away. The hand controls were game changing, allowing patients with spinal disabilities to use the sim. The true beauty was entering a ‘flow’ state and full immersion into the game. Team BRIT’s racers and coaches were true advocates for disabilities in sport and a great inspiration to life after being discharged from hospital.”

Team BRIT driver Paul Fullick said: “It was a real pleasure to meet the patients at Stoke Mandeville and tell them about our team. Many of our drivers, including me, have spent time in rehabilitation units and you often ponder what kinds of activities will be open to you with a disability.”

“We want to show anyone with a disability that so much is possible with the right support. I hope that the patients who tried out our hand controls enjoyed the experience and were inspired to try something new. We’d love to welcome them to a racetrack to see us in action soon.”

At Salisbury Hospital, the team were welcomed by spinal unit physiotherapist Rebecca Hobbs, who said: “A huge thanks to everyone at Team BRIT for visiting. Patients have been telling me how much they loved it and one of them said it was their ‘favourite day in four months’ which is pretty amazing feedback.

“It was so nice to see them enjoying it so much and doing something really different. It definitely opened their eyes to what is possible now.”