Newtownards motorcyclist facing long recovery
By Amy Pollock
A NEWTOWNARDS man has shown his immense gratitude to those who have helped him raise funds for an electric wheelchair as he recovers from a serious motorcycle accident.
Thirty-eight year-old Vincent Mendes was involved in a traffic collision on the Newtownards Road on February 25, which has left him with severe fractures and an estimated six month rehabilitation journey.
“I do not remember anything from that day,” said Vincent. “When I came to my senses, I was in the Royal Hospital with a doctor talking to me and my wife next to me. I was in a lot of pain, screaming the place down in a corridor.
“I broke my leg bones right above the ankle and my wrist bone, both on the right-hand side, and I was heavily concussed.”
Since the accident, Vincent has undergone three surgeries to place external fixators and plates in his bones, with more surgeries still ahead.
After 13 days in hospital, Vincent now has a ‘long’ and ‘painful’ recovery process ahead of him to regain mobility and independence.
“It’s not a fixed timeframe, I’ll have to do lots of physio and it will depend on how well that goes,” explained Vincent.
The idea for the electric wheelchair came after Vincent and his wife, Tammy, ran into several difficulties while travelling to the Royal Hospital for an appointment.
“I’m six foot one and my wife is five foot something,” he said. “We went to the Royal and couldn’t get parked anywhere nearby, so we had to park on the Falls, and I’m just in a transport wheelchair so I can’t move it myself, I have to be pushed by somebody, so she somehow pushed me from the Falls to the hospital.
“I honestly couldn’t have done it without her, but now she’s in agony. So I thought I’m not going to compromise the health of my wife – I need to do something – I need to find a way that I can do more by myself.”
Once he started looking into other wheelchair options, Vincent found that renting a wheelchair to suit the needs of his injuries was not as easy as he expected.
Said Vincent: “The wheelchair rental services are either too heavy, there’s too many strings attached, or you can only rent them for so long.”
He said an electric wheelchair is the best option that will allow him to move around safely without putting excessive stress on his injuries or loved ones.
“So I just thought why not get my own electric wheelchair and whenever I’m done, I can just give it to somebody else who needs it?”
Vincent set up the GoFundMe page and in less than 12 hours, he reached his initial goal of £1,000 to go towards the electric wheelchair.
“I honestly was not expecting the reaction and support I got. I cried so many times.
“From friends, colleagues, former employers, family members – everyone just rallied up, and it took 30 people. It was amazing to see all these people telling me I can do this, and I know some of these people don’t have a lot to give, and yet they did, no questions asked, it was really moving.”
Tammy said she is amazed by her husband’s resilience and compassion.
“Vincent went through 13 days of what he called hell. He had no control over a situation, he was vulnerable, terrified and in agony. He went from that to then going ‘I’m aware my wife is struggling, I have to try and get a bit of independence to try and take control of this horrible ordeal’. He put his pride aside to start this GoFundMe, and he’s still going ‘I want this to go and bless other people when I’m finished with it’.
“That in itself is who Vincent is, he’s one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.”
Vincent, who is a facilities coordinator yet unable to work due to his injuries, has decided to keep the fundraiser open as he expects further struggles and expenses throughout his recovery.
“It will take me about six months, give or take to recuperate, so any additional donations will help support me and my family, but I don’t want to impose a number on it, so the goal will remain low. If you wish to help even beyond the goal that has been reached, believe me you will still make a world of difference to me,” he wrote on his GoFundMe page.
Those wishing to donate to the fundraiser can do so via:
www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-stay-independent-after-my-motorcycle-accident
