When Dan Metcalfe had not one, but two accidents\u00a0that left him paralysed (T8-T10 complete), his attention\u00a0turned to scuba diving and breaking world records.<\/p>\n
Meet the man behind this extraordinary story.<\/p>\n
In 2014 I was in a motorbike accident. I came off my bike after slipping on gravel.\u00a0 While I was laid on the road my friend hit me with his bike and I knew straight away that I was paralysed. I was 26 at the time. I was airlifted to hospital by the amazing MAGPAS air ambulance who saved my life.<\/p>\n
SIA had some incredible mentors at the\u00a0hospital and they helped guide me through\u00a0my journey of living with my new paralysed body. After some considerable time in\u00a0rehab and getting myself fitter, I was\u00a0training with British Cycling and being\u00a0tested to hopefully join the Olympic Team.<\/p>\n
In 2018, when out on a 600-mile charity\u00a0bike ride, I had my second crash.\u00a0A car that tried to overtake me collided\u00a0with a lorry then hit me.\u00a0I was left with a compression in my\u00a0neck at C4 and a loss of about 40% power\u00a0in my left shoulder. This second accident\u00a0ended my racing career, at 30 years old.<\/p>\n
Before I was paralysed, I enjoyed all\u00a0types of sport, so it was no surprise that\u00a0following my first accident I chose fitness\u00a0as a focus to keep my life on track.\u00a0\u00a0I continued cycling by use of a handcycle\u00a0and reached 5th ranking in the UK. I also\u00a0tried many different new sports \u2013 fencing,\u00a0archery, shooting, tennis. I qualified as\u00a0a gym instructor and Level 3 disability\u00a0instructor and set up a local fitness club\u00a0for disabled people and their partners.<\/p>\n
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I only started scuba diving just before\u00a0my second accident. I had some real\u00a0difficulties with my mental health and\u00a0PTSD after my second crash and my\u00a0newfound friends at the Bingham Sub\u00a0Aqua Club saw that I needed help and\u00a0got me in the water. I found scuba diving\u00a0really calming for my mind and found that\u00a0it \u2018reset my brain\u2019 every time I went in.<\/p>\n
Since then, I have progressed to assistant\u00a0instructor having completed my Instructor Foundation Course (IFC) and have nearly\u00a0qualified as a dive leader.\u00a0Diving gave me a focus when I was in\u00a0a very dark place with my mental health.<\/p>\n
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It continues to improve my fitness and offer\u00a0me endless enjoyment. Without diving and\u00a0my family (and my diving family) I genuinely\u00a0don\u2019t know whether I\u2019d be here today.<\/p>\n
On 28 September this year at Stoney\u00a0Cove Dive Centre in Leicester, I beat\u00a0three diving Guinness world records\u00a0simultaneously (currently awaiting the\u00a0official verification).\u00a0The team I had supporting the challenge\u00a0was huge and I couldn\u2019t have achieved it\u00a0without every individual and company who\u00a0donated their time, skills and resources.<\/p>\n
Next year I will be taking part in a\u00a0massive charity event called \u2018Baton of\u00a0Hope\u2019, campaigning for a zero suicide\u00a0society. This event is very close to my heart\u00a0which is why I\u2019m so keen to help.\u00a0I believe that fitness is key to a disabled\u00a0life. If you\u2019re interested in scuba diving or\u00a0any of the other sports I\u2019ve tried, please\u00a0contact me for a chat. Alternatively, I know\u00a0SIA would be able to provide some great\u00a0advice and point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n
Dan is raising funds for, and awareness of disability diving and\u00a0the benefits that diving can have on mental health. To support him\u00a0please go to justgiving.com\/crowdfunding\/wheelsdan<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This story appeared in the Winter issue of our magazine FORWARD\u00a0<\/em>as part of a larger article about careers after spinal cord injury.<\/p>\n