Monday, 27th February
You may remember last year that we featured an appeal by a former seafarer who was in need of a new wheelchair. Well…thanks to the intervention of a number of Propeller Club members, particularly David Corkish and a campaign led by Linda Cotton dealing with a range of maritime charities, we are thrilled to say that Nick now has his new chair.
In 2012 Nick Sheldrick was working as a merchant navy officer in the Falklands and had an accident resulting in a spinal cord injury at level L1. He spent 4 months in hospital and has been reliant on a wheelchair since then. He is a 35 year old male and wasn’t able to work because of the accident. He did some volunteer work but had to give it up because spending to long in his then wheelchair caused pain.
He is a proud person and was making do, but he was adamant that a new wheelchair would help his daily life and with posture and mobility. So we are thrilled to have played a part in him getting a new lightweight, carbon fibre one. We really hope this helps with his quality of life.
There may be a temptation to think of the Propeller Club as just a bit of fun (and of course it is), but actually bringing people together – especially passionate maritime professionals, is something that brings results. This is a perfect illustration of what can happen when we get the industry talking – and would never have happened without Linda’s persistence and determination.
So here’s to Nick and his new wheelchair, and hopefully to a fresh start…
