The Red Bulletin April 2020

Wings for Life
“I just want to surprise people
and show what you can
do with a positive mindset”
Ben Tansley
On a sunny day in 2017, Ed Jackson – a 6ft 4in
pro rugby player – was at a barbecue at a
family friend’s house and took a dive into their
pool. Only when his skull smashed against the
bottom did he realise it was the shallow end.
“I tried to reach for my head to check for blood,”
he says, “but I couldn’t move. I panicked.”
Jackson was drowning. His dad, realising something was
wrong, raised him up. The ambulance journey to hospital
took more than two hours because Jackson had to be
resuscitated three times. He needed emergency surgery to
stabilise his spine. “My dad never looks worried, but he was
concerned. I knew this was a life-changing incident.”
Jackson had dislocated his C6-C7 vertebrae and shattered
the disc, sending shards through his spinal cord and leaving
just 4mm still connected. He was told he’d never walk again.
“This is something that happens to other people, never you,”
he says. Distraught, Jackson kept apologising to his partner,
Lois. At night, he’d imagine his toe wiggling. Then, on day
six… it did. The impossible was happening. “Before this,
winning championships would make me happy; suddenly
a wiggling toe meant so much more.”
The former Newport Gwent Dragons and England youth
number eight underwent rehab and hydrotherapy, treasuring
every millimetre of new movement. A year later, he stood
weeping on the 1,085m-high summit of Snowdon after a
gritty eight-hour hike. “To think where I was... it was a ‘pinch
me’ moment. That feeling became addictive.”
The 31-year-old from Bath has since climbed Meru Peak
(6,600m) in the Himalayas and co-founded the M2M
(Millimetres to Mountains) Group, which arranges hikes and
events for those with disabilities. Still lacking power down his
left side, he walks with a brace and a heavy limp. “Because of
my inefficient mechanics, I use 50 per cent more energy. In
Nepal, I burnt 11,000 calories a day.” This year, he will climb
Mont Blanc (4,808m) in the Alps, Gran Paradiso (4,061m)
THE RED BULLETIN 61