Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Our Heroes: Thomas shows he's determined to rebuild life

A TEENAGER expected to be left paralysed and unable to speak after an accident has been nominated for an award for his determination to get better.

Thomas Buckett fell 15ft through the roof of his school in May last year, leaving him in a coma for two weeks and suffering 10 skull fractures.

Doctors told his mum Mandy that there was just a four per cent chance of regaining his speech and he would never kick a football again. But one year on, he is back in lessons and determined to get back to full health.

Mandy, pictured with her son, aged 44, of Hertford Grove, Clayton, said: "The whole incident was horrendous. We were told to prepare ourselves for him never waking up and I couldn't bear the pain of not knowing what would happen to him.

"The doctors said if he woke up, he probably wouldn't know who we were.

"I remember asking early-on if he would ever play football again and they said he would never even kick a ball."

Thomas was on the roof of Clayton Hall Business and Language College to fetch a football and fell through a skylight into a corridor.

He underwent a five-and-a-half hour operation to rebuild his skull and has also been through physiotherapy and speech and language therapy.

The Stoke City fan has now returned to school doing half a normal timetable and hopes to go to college in September.

Mandy said: "Tom couldn't speak for several weeks after the accident and had to learn how to make sounds before he could talk again.

"He's had to relearn everything from how to speak to how to use a light switch."

Mandy, a mum-of-two, has now nominated Thomas as a Child of Courage in The Sentinel's Our Heroes awards.

Thomas, aged 17, said: "The past year has been horrible, but I have had a lot of support."




Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503368/s/14989c53/l/0L0Sthisisstaffordshire0O0Cnews0CThomas0Eshows0Es0Edetermined0Erebuild0Elife0Carticle0E35173870Edetail0Carticle0Bhtml/story01.htm

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