A former Team GB decathlete who was almost killed in a bike crash has been discharged from hospital after a “miraculous” recovery — and hopes to be able to one day play sport again.
Ben Gregory, 32, suffered a fractured skull and neck as well as multiple brain haemorrhages when his bike collided with a car in London in August last year. Medics gave him just a five per cent chance of survival and he cannot remember the last seven years.
Air ambulance paramedics put him into an induced coma and he was flown to the Royal London Hospital, where he spent weeks on life support.
The decathlete has represented Great Britain and competed for Wales at three Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, Glasgow in 2014, and in the Gold Coast five years ago.
Speaking to the Standard, Mr Gregory’s sister Aimee said: “When I first saw him, I nearly passed out. The doctors had to get me a chair. Ben didn’t look alive, there were machines and tubes everywhere.
“I went to stroke him, but the doctor said I couldn’t as Ben had multiple facial fractures and the smallest touch could make it worse.”
After his physical condition stabilised, Mr Gregory underwent six months of neurological rehabilitation at the Wellington Hospital in St John’s Wood. “By his birthday he was even able to eat some cake, which was so lovely to see,” Aimee said. “That day he took his first steps — another milestone met.”
Mr Gregory was discharged in May and returned to his home near the Olympic Park in Stratford, where he lives with his partner Naomi. His recovery has “defied all odds” but he still faces a long road to full fitness and lives with a 24/7 support worker, Aimee said.
“Ben can walk, talk and eat now which is a lot more than we expected. But he still has cognitive impairments and short-term memory is a real issue.”
She added: “Of course, there is sometimes a creeping feeling where you want to mourn what he’s lost, but you have to remind yourself not to do that. He so easily could have died that day, we have to celebrate the fact that he didn’t.
“He is more Ben than I thought he ever would be. His personality and sense of humour is the same, he is still our Ben.”
In June, the decathlete was reunited with the air ambulance paramedics who treated him at the scene at the charity's helipad in Whitechapel. His family have since helped to raise thousands of pounds for the charity, which is seeking funds for a new helicopter fleet.
“They saved my brother's life and we want to do everything we can to repay them. Not enough people know it is a charity, I want to the spread the word and raise awareness.”
Aimee said that her brother hopes to one day return to a career in sport and fitness.
“This incident took away Ben’s career and his passion, but he has an amazing positive attitude. He is proud of his past achievements but insists that this isn’t it for him. He wants to have a career in fitness and sport in some capacity in the future, even if it’s not exactly what he was doing before.”
