AN inspiring Plymouth man who was left paralysed on a family holiday 15 years ago has felt his body 'wake up' thanks to a new hobby and he has big dreams for the future.
Ben Thornton, aged 28, was left paralysed on a family holiday in 2009 from a spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) - an abnormal tangle of blood vessels on, in, or near the spinal cord. In the years that followed, he hardly left the house and says he would just sit at home 'doing nothing, which led to him having suicidal thoughts.
But now Ben, who lives in Devonport, has started feeling his body 'waking up' and despite still having physical struggles day-to-day and relying on pain-relief medication, he wants to spread the message that even when you hit 'rock bottom, there is still a way out!
Ben has just won the Platinum Award at BBC Gardeners' World Live and has a dream to one day become a TV presenter and inspirational speaker to inspire others facing similar hardship.
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