Paralysed Hampshire man defied odds to walk New York marathon

A man told he had a less than 20% chance of walking again after he became paralysed overnight has defied the odds to walk the New York marathon route.

Brian Wheeler, from Botley, Hampshire, has cauda equina syndrome - a condition where all the nerves in the lower back suddenly become severely compressed.

In 2018, doctors told him it was very unlikely he would walk again but he was determined to prove them wrong.

Through rehab, he learnt to crawl, then walk and then run.

In 2021, the air traffic controller completed the Southampton half-marathon before shifting his attention to the New York challenge.

'Motivating factor'

Marking five years to the moment he was told it would be unlikely he would walk again, he walked the route with his friend Mark McKinlay, completing it in eight hours and 36 minutes - in hot and humid conditions.

"Being told you're never going to walk again certainly focuses the mind," he told the BBC.

"I remember those words as if it yesterday," he continued, adding: "I didn't quite believe it, I was shocked.

"To be able to not only walk but walk that distance, was a huge motivating factor for me - but more than that it was the option to raise more money for the charity I'm heavily involved in."

Mr Wheeler raised money for Aerobility, a charity based at Blackbushe Airport, in Yateley, that helps people with disabilities learn to fly.

He said he would like to fund a programme called Virtual Aviation that would see instructors teach people with a disability over the age of 12 how to fly, via the internet.