A Coventry man has shared how his gym membership has kept him going 20 years after being partially paralysed in a horrific car accident.
Stephen Ward from Bell Green has become a regular face at his local gym, CV Life’s Centre AT7 over the last 18 years.
A keen rower, Stephen’s determination and friendly manner has made him a popular member of the AT7 family, often attending several times a week.
But it all could have been very different.
Stephen was a keen footballer as a youngster, spending hours in the Black Pad at the top of Proffitt Avenue honing his skills. He was known for his ferocious shooting power, and despite the fact he was a big lad, being absolutely rapid.
I witnessed this speed and rocket launch shots first hand as I grew up round the corner from Stephen, often taking part in the same impromptu 20-aside football matches that would spring up consisting of kids of all ages from the neighbourhood. Being about five years younger than he was, I, along with many kids in the area, looked up to ‘Big Wardy’ with something approaching awe and intimidation.
There is one story in particular I remember from this time which has stuck with me. Stephen and I both attended Foxford School and like many living around Bell Green, we’d both often get the bus home. Such was the rush of dozens of kids trying to avoid the walk, getting this bus could be a bit like trying to board the Titanic’s last lifeboat. On this occasion, amid the hustle and bustle, the driver singled Stephen out and refused to let him get on, saying the bus was full – something none of us had ever seen happen as all the drivers seemed to just let on as many people as needed regardless of space. Not to be perturbed, when the bus drove off, Stephen raced it through the streets of Aldermans Green. The bus pulled up at the next stop, and much to the hilarity of about fifty kids on the top deck, the driver found Stephen there waiting, slightly out of breath.
“I remember that,” Stephen smiles when I tell him the anecdote. “The driver still didn’t let me get on the bus!
“I was big, but over fifty yards I could beat anyone in a race,” he laughs.
But this spirited, fun and outright lust for life was very nearly extinguished when Stephen was in a horrific car crash in 2004. A whole area mourned when it looked like Stephen, or ‘Wardy’ as he was affectionately known around Bell Green, might not survive.
“I was in a coma for about eight weeks after the accident,” Stephen shared. “I had to relearn how to do literally everything.
“I couldn’t lift my left arm at all, and I couldn’t speak. I remember my dad saying in the hospital ‘Stephen, can you just make a noise?’ I did, just a groan, and from that I taught myself to talk again.”
What followed was a grueling two years for Stephen, rebuilding what was left of his life and his body. He credits his support network of friends and family who helped him during those days, in particular his dad, who sadly died in 2015, but was a huge inspiration for Stephen during his recovery, and his mum, who has been a huge support for him day to day.
Stephen said: “The fact I’m still here is because of my dad – he kept on pushing me after the accident and never let me give in. When we lost him it left a hole in our lives. My mum has also been an incredible carer for me down the years and I can’t thank them enough.”
When finally out of hospital, though not able to walk without an aid, he became a regular face in the community again, with residents often seeing him out and about on his mobility scooter. In more recent years his outings have seen him joined by Skye, his nine-year-old German Shepard.
Two years after his accident, pretty much as soon as he was out of hospital, Stephen was looking to reclaim some of his independence and signed himself up to the AT7 Centre. He became a well-known member, at times it wasn’t unheard of for him to turn up every day of the week.
He does some weights, though in his words he ‘should do more’. But his real passion is the rowing machine. Though he moves slowly and deliberately, once he’s strapped into the rowing machine he’s a man transformed, gliding with an effortless grace Sir Steve Redgrave would be proud of.
This passion has led to Stephen competing in challenges and events. Several years ago he even took part in a charity row for the poorly grandchild of a friend, raising hundreds of pounds by rowing the equivalent of the English Channel, Dover to Calais. Remarkably he completed this feat in just over two hours and forty minutes!
“I love rowing and I love coming to the gym,” he shares. “Though I was a bit sore after that challenge.
“Coming to the gym keeps me strong physically and mentally. When Lockdown happened, it was the only time I suffered with mental health – I had to go to the doctors who gave me antidepressants for a month.
“Luckily I had Skye so I could still get out and about and she really kept me sane. Soon as the gym was open again I was fine.”
Talking to Stephen and seeing his journey is quite incredible. Many people would have wallowed after having such a life-altering accident in their early 20s. Stephen picked himself up, taught himself how to live again and not just survived but thrived too.
Though he moves slower and his voice is thoughtful and slightly slurred, his eyes are bright and intelligent, and you see in them the same vitality that he had as a younger man. He might’ve lost some of that legendary speed, but when you talk to him you get the impression he’d still love to give the bus driver a run for his money – and if Stephen did it in a rowing machine, I know which way I’d be betting!
Keep up the amazing work, Wardy, you’re a valued member of the AT7 family!
Danny Thompson