Teenager paralyzed in freak accident while playing with dogs

Updated

A 17-year-old British teenager was paralyzed in a freak accident while playing with his dogs on a sofa, Yahoo News U.K. reports.

In July, Harvey Leyland, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, was purportedly playing with his dogs Hugo and Charlie when Hugo, a British bulldog, pulled the cushion from underneath him. Leyland immediately fell and landed on his head, crushing his spinal cord.

Though Leyland was able to make it up the stairs to rest, he allegedly suffered a seizure and was later discovered by his older brother Bradley. Their mother Angela's partner Phil then called an ambulance, according to Yahoo.

On the way to the hospital, Leyland reportedly had trouble breathing and was placed into an induced coma upon his arrival.

"When I arrived I collapsed in the corridor, I couldn't believe what was happening," Angela said, according to the Mirror. "My mind was racing. I still feel like I'm in limbo. To see your child go from running around and being active to this is heartbreaking."

Four days later, Leyland was transferred to a spinal unit at another hospital, the Mirror notes. A scan revealed that he had suffered two ministrokes and one spinal stroke. As a result, the 17-year-old allegedly could not eat, drink or talk by himself for the first several weeks.

Though Leyland did make some progress and was eventually able to talk, his body reportedly began to reject his catheter in August. That month, he went into septic shock.

"I thought we were going to lose him," his mother recalled. "It was the worst feeling, I was terrified."

Since then, the teenager has been slowly recovering, even managing to move his right index finger, the Mirror reports. Still, doctors do not believe he'll be able to move again.

To accommodate his disability, Leyland's family set up a GoFundMe campaign two weeks ago in an effort to raise enough money to convert their home's basement to accommodate him. As of Tuesday afternoon, they had raised nearly $7,000 of their approximately $65,000 goal.

"He's a mummy's boy," Angela said. "He's more like a 14-year-old at heart, and he just wants to come home. It's amazing the help we've received, but we still have a long way to go."

Advertisement