Mark Davey was left in a wheelchair after he slipped and fell at work and was told that he only had a 50 per cent chance of ever walking again.
But the 32 year old never lost hope and now has fought the odds and is just about to launch his own personal training service.
He suffered the injury when he was 19 and had to undergo an intricate spinal fusion operation just three years ago.
After his operation he worked hard to regain his mobility and is hoping that his new business will help people in similar situations to become active again.
He said: “I’m trying to keep away from the gym environment so it’s basically training at home or in parks and on the beach.
“If you have never used a gym before it can be quite scary because it’s intimidating seeing all these people lifting weights who seem like they know what they’re doing. That’s how I felt at first.
“I always tell my clients what I have been through because I find it gives them something to focus on and if they know where I’ve come from, they believe they can do it themselves.”
Mark completed a personal trainer diploma and has experience working with people with a range of health conditions.
He added: “I really want to bring the referral side into it. I’m keen to focus on getting people in who have conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and lower back pain as those are some of the areas I know a lot about. But I also want to work with people who are quite sports focused or might want to get fit or lose weight. It’s all about a healthy lifestyle.”
He said: “I never thought I would be doing any of this. If you had told me two or three years ago what my life would be like I wouldn’t have believed you.”