Man left unable to walk hails 'astonishing' recovery

A man who was left unable to walk after an injury to his spine says it has been "astonishing" to get back on his feet.

Glenn Meyer, 66, from Caterham, popped three discs in his back while stretching out on a sun lounger in his garden, an injury which he says caused him "excruciating" pain and meant he needed to use a wheelchair for nearly three years.

But, following a series of operations, Meyer now aims to complete a 37-mile (59.5km) charity walk, which he called a "walk back to happiness" to pay tribute to the surgeons who treated him.

He said: "I was told I would never walk more than three miles. Now every day is a training day."

Meyer added: "It's astonishing to be honest. The surgical team are the best in their field but it was no guarantee that the operation would be a cure."

Meyer, who suffered the injury to his back as the result of a previously-undiagnosed degenerative spinal condition, continued to deteriorate following the incident in September 2020.

In October 2023, he then had the first of a series of operations which inserted an internal titanium frame to support his spine, screwed into his hips with bolts.

Following the operation Meyer said he set himself the goal of walking from his home to his local pub to order a pint before Christmas Day, 2023 and achieved the feat a few days prior.

He now hopes to walk 37 miles from his home in Caterham to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore in London, where he was treated, to raise funds for the hospital's charity arm.

The walk will take place over three days from May 5 to 8.

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