A 20-year-old man has been paralysed from the neck down after a freak accident on a Welsh beach.
Callum Jones tripped on an underwater rock as he ran into the sea on Freshwater East, Pembrokeshire, and broke his neck after landing awkwardly.
The keen cricketer and footballer has undergone a gruelling eight-hour operation to rebuild the broken bone in his spine but his family say a miracle is needed if he is to walk again.
Callum was initially taken to Glangwili Hospital where a scan showed a fractured C5 vertebrae in his neck and he was then airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where his condition is serious.
Family friend Katie Jones said his mum Joanna, dad Dean and partner Pheobe are devastated at the prospect of Callum never being able to return his beloved sport.
From Pennar in Pembroke Dock, Callum is an accomplished sportsman playing football for Pennar Robins and cricket for Pembroke Dock.
The freak accident happened after a cricket training session with the youngsters on Freshwater East on Thursday, July 22. As he ran down to the water after training, Callum seemingly tripped.
Katie said: "The boys noticed he was laying face down in the water and floating, and not responding.
"One of the younger boys went over and turned him over and Callum said 'help me'. He'd cracked his neck on an underwater rock and couldn't move."
Callum had a section of his hip bone removed in the eight-hour operation in UHW in an attempt to rebuild his damaged vertebrae but the accident has damaged his spinal cord and he has no movement from the neck down. He is due to have a tracheotomy on Friday and after that, "that will be it" said Katie.
He is now in an induced coma in the University of Hospital of Wales in Cardiff while the spinal and respiratory teams try to improve his condition. He is using blinking to communicate with doctors and his family, who are only able to see him twice a week.
The eldest of four children, Callum was the "golden boy" in the family, said Katie, who lives in Kilgetty.
"They are such a close family and they are devastated, as is everyone who knows Callum," she said.
"His life has changed in the blink of an eye. We are praying for a miracle. They are going to need all the help they can in the future."
Single mum Joanna is especially concerned about the future and how to adapt her life for Callum's needs once he comes home.
Katie has set up a fundraiser for the family, which has so far exceeded £7,000. To contribute to the fundraising, go to https://uk.gofundme.com/f/a-little-help-for-callum-jones.
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