A fund-raiser launched to help a pensioner rehabilitate at home after a devastating accident has smashed its target.
Retired aircraft engineer Alan Hargreaves, 71, has been left paralysed from the neck down.
He’s been in hospital ever since an accident at Noble’s Hospital in April last year.
Stock car racing fan Alan had gone into hospital for a routine hip replacement operation. He was recovering from the successful surgery when he went to the bathroom, slipped, and broke his neck.
He has not been able to return home since.
His wife Julie launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise £4,500 towards buying a specialist bed so that her husband can rehabilitate at their home in Ballasalla.
And after Media Isle of Man reported on Alan’s plight, donations have come flooding in. So far, a total of £6,410 has been raised and Julie has increased the target to £7,500.
She said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted.’
Julie said her husband had been escorted to the bathroom but then left to use the toilet.
It is understood that an investigation concluded the hospital was not to blame for his fall as he had not followed staff instructions to wait for help after using the toilet.
Alan is currently in a specialist bed at Noble’s which turns him every two hours to help with pressure sores.
It will cost £10,000 to buy a similar bed would allow him to begin rehabilitation and significantly improve his quality of life.
The couple moved from Pendle. Lancashire, to the Isle of Man in 2009.
The GoFundMe campaign was launched on Tuesday January 20 and has already raised £2,585 towards the £4,500 goal. You can find details here: