Driver beats the odds to make miraculous recovery

At the start of the year the prognosis for our driver Paul Spencer looked dire.

The 40-year-old was in a coma, fighting for his life after serious setbacks following major abdominal surgery in December, including a collapsed lung and pneumonia.

His family were told to expect the worst and were called to say their goodbyes after his condition deteriorated further.

“I was pretty close to death,” explained Paul. “I spent just short of eight weeks in intensive care, two weeks where I was sedated and three where I was in a coma.

Now against the odds we are delighted that Paul, who spend months in hospital, has made a fantastic recovery and was recently able to begin a phased return to work.

Paul with his partner Katie

Paul is incredibly grateful for the support from his family, friends, work colleagues and the medical teams at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital as well as the wider haulage community.

A fundraising appeal launched in January saw over £5,000 raised to support Paul and his family, with donations and good wishes coming in from across the industry.

“I want to thank everybody,” said Paul. “On the fundraising there were so many names on there, people I don’t know, giving their support.

“It definitely helped; we would have struggled badly without that extra money.”

It was back in early December that Paul felt unwell and after visiting the doctors was sent to Hull Royal Infirmary.

Even after surgery in mid-December his condition didn’t improve, and he was transferred to Castle Hill Hospital at New Year. Paul continued to deteriorate and was struggling to breathe.

For his family it was an incredibly difficult time with hopes he was improving repeatedly dashed.

Paul believes it was thoughts of his family, his two daughters, stepson and partner Katie that gave him the will to survive.

Spurred on by their support, and from his parents, wider family and big circle of friends, Paul’s condition slowly started to improve. “It has been a long road to recovery, but I was determined to get there.”

After losing five stone in weight, he has had to rebuild his strength and even learn to walk again undergoing two physio sessions a day.

“Doing the smallest little thing I couldn’t get my breath, I couldn’t walk ten steps, I struggled to get out of bed on my own, I was that weak.”

Now on a phased return to work, Paul is back behind the wheel doing the job he loves.

“I am glad to be back in a routine and back earning money. I have missed work as I enjoy driving and was missing it.”

Director Alex Lymer said: “We are so pleased to have been able to welcome Paul back as he is a valuable member of our team.

“His situation looked very bad, and his recovery is nothing short of miraculous.”