When 82-year-old Harold Price from Griffithstown, Wales, broke a vertebra in his neck while cycling with a friend in 2021, doctors told him he would never walk again. But Price, a retired engineer who cycled up to 95 miles a week, was determined to prove them wrong.
After spending months in the hospital, Price returned home with the help of a friend’s homemade wheeled lifting frame. However, he continued to struggle, often collapsing as he tried to regain his mobility. That was until a chance recommendation led him to the Morrello Clinic and physiotherapist Sam Miggins.
“You can imagine how I felt,” Price recalls. “After months of being told I couldn’t, she turned to me and said, ‘I’ll get you to walk.'”
Miggins put Price on an intensive rehabilitation programme, including an active-passive bike, resistance training, and walking with varying levels of support. Progress was slow, and Price admits there were times he felt like giving up. “I go to bed at night and sometimes I think I don’t want to wake up. Then in the morning I think, oh well, I’ll walk again. I’ve got to get better than this.”
Six months later, Price was able to use an upright walker, a milestone he describes as “marvellous” despite the pain. Now, he and Miggins walk 400 metres up and down the road outside the clinic with a Zimmer frame, joking with other patients about walking to the pub.
At home, Price can walk short distances using an upright walking frame, and he no longer needs carers to help him dress or get into bed. The severe spasms he once suffered have also stopped.
“The doctors said, ‘Well, Mr Price, you proved us wrong,'” he recalls. “I said, ‘It’s because of Sam,’ and the doctor said, ‘It’s not down to Sam, it’s down to you.'”
Despite the challenges, Price’s determination and the care he received at the Morrello Clinic have allowed him to regain his mobility and independence. His story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the transformative impact of dedicated physiotherapy.
