AN inspirational 42-year-old from Burnham-on-Sea with an acquired brain injury has overcome the odds to once again ride on the crest of a wave. 

When Steve was the victim of a brutal attack in Thailand ten years ago, his family thought that would be the end of his adrenaline-fuelled adventures. The attack left him with a brain injury, paralysis to his left side, and an inability to communicate verbally.

Life would never be the same again for the young man who was used to living an independent, fun-packed life, and who would now need round-the-clock specialist support. Steve’s severe injuries also left him with high levels of anxiety and frustration.

For the last eight years, Steve has been supported by Realise South West, a specialist service which is part of the not-for-profit Somerset Care Group. He indicated to his care team that he was keen to get back on a surfboard – a challenge for his team to organise, as most adaptive surfing still involves lying and balancing on a surfboard, something which Steve would not be able to manage due to his left-side weakness.

Team continued their research until they came across the Wave Project, an adaptive surfing charity based in Croyde. The company even had a wetsuit with zips to the arms and legs to make it easier for Steve’s team to get him in and out of it.  

A date was set, and thanks to the combined efforts of Realise South West and the Wave Project, Steve’s dream of getting back on a surfboard came true. He was able to once again get back out on the waves.

Jo Leigh, Area Registered Manager for Realise South West, explains what this means to everyone involved:  “At Realise South West, we are passionate about celebrating the individual, moving beyond supporting them in the everyday, to empowering them to achieve their ambitions in life. We talk a lot about supporting people to live the life they choose – and this is exactly what this looks like for Steve.

She added: “Steve was an active, adventurous young man at the time his attacker robbed him of the future he had planned. As well as supporting him to reclaim some everyday independence, it is so important to his dedicated support team to help him reclaim his adventurous side with positive risk taking and adaptations which enable Steve to get back to enjoying the adrenaline-fuelled activities he loves.

“Seeing the look of pure exhilaration and enjoyment on Steve’s face as he took to the waves is what all the long hours, hard work and sometimes tears are for. Here's to many more days like this.”

Shane Adams is part of the Realise team who support Steve. He said: “Since supporting Steve to move into his flat and have his own space, his anxiety has reduced massively. This has given us as his support team an opportunity to move forward with rebuilding the life skills that he had lost since his accident.

“Steve previously lived in Thailand and had sky dived, surfed and ridden motorbikes. Giving Steve the opportunity to take part in an activity that he had chosen to do before his accident is the most rewarding experience I have ever had working in care.”

Ian Bennet, Adaptive Lead at the Wave Project, reflected: “It was great to meet Steve in Croyde, and take him surfing. During our surf session, we got to build a great rapport with Steve and the Realise team. We got to see what he enjoyed, and worked with Steve and his team at their pace to ensure he got the most out of the session.

“High on our priorities is to see our surfer smiling, and we definitely saw some big wide grins on Steve's face.”

Steve’s mum, Alison, was also there to watch Steve take to the waves. She said: “As I watched my son on a surfboard in the sea at Croyde Bay on a Monday in October, the events of 10 years ago this Christmas couldn’t have been farther away. You see my son, who so nearly lost his life on the other side of the world in 2014, was living his best life, thanks to one man’s ambitious dream and two amazing teams of people.

“The sheer joy on his face brought tears to many of us.”

“From my heart I say a massive ‘Thank You’ to Steve’s Realise care team for sharing the dreams our family have for Steve and for bringing them to life. And another massive ‘Thank You’ to the Wave team for making all of this possible – you are all amazing!”