'I was paralysed by a pull-up bar - now I want to design aircraft'

Alan Nowicki was just 15 when his life changed forever after a freak accident.

The aspiring RAF pilot was left paralysed from the waist down when a pull-up bar collapsed and he fell on his head. His spinal cord was crushed.

Now 17, the teenager said his life is better than he could have imagined - and he has learned to drive, taken a glider flight and hopes to go to university.

He has travelled from his home in Ripon, North Yorkshire, to Poland and Thailand for the latest treatment and is not in pain.

He said: “It feels really good knowing that the things I thought weren’t possible after the accident still are in some way and it has given me a new perspective on things."

His days now consist of three hours of physiotherapy exercises alongside his A Level studies.

He passed his driving test in August and now goes to school in his adapted car, as well as running errands for his mother, Kamila.

She said: “To us, progress is him being healthy, fit, independent, doing his school work, meeting his friends and going to the gym.

“He is out there, is not stuck at home, he is not bed-bound, that is progress and he is driving all of that."

He is still passionate about flying, and while on work experience at the Yorkshire Gliding Club near Thirsk, was able to take a flight in a glider. He is now having lessons and hopes to gain a gliding licence.

“It is difficult to describe, it is like being in a plane, but peaceful.

"I have full control of the stick and the brakes, but the instructor has to control the rudder because it is operated by pedal."

Access to a specially adapted glider would allow him to fly solo.

A crowdfunding campaign enabled Alan to have treatment overseas. He had stem cell therapy in Thailand, a procedure not available on the NHS.

Kamila, who is Polish, said: “I like to think that every parent would do the same for their kid, if something happens, you search high and low and try everything to help them to get better.

“I never thought we would be here in this place, everything was just daunting, very negative and we just tried to keep out heads above the water and not drown.”

This summer, Alan will sit his A Levels at Ripon Grammar School, and he then hopes to study aerospace engineering and pursue a career in aircraft design.

He said: “I never thought that things would be as good as they are.

"I have come to terms with everything, I am not mad or angry or anything, I have accepted it and moved on.”

His mother added: “He’ll go out there into the world and spread his wings, get that gliding licence, get that degree under his belt, and go out there do what he wants to do and be healthy, independent and pain-free.”