A young man who had a brush with death after falling off a friend's roof has now been left with part of his skull missing.
Bartender Ben Wyatt, from Penryn, west Cornwall, narrowly escaped death after climbing on a friend's roof after a night out last October, reports Cornwall Live.
Horrifyingly, Ben lost his footing and slipped through some guttering.
In an attempt to soften his landing, on of his pals caught his legs - but this flipped the barman over and he landed on his head.
Ben was immediately rushed to hospital with a fractured skull, and put into an induced coma for his own protection.
At that time, Ben said he had a bleed on the brain which was threatening to leave him with serious brain damage.
Doctors pursued a risky course of action which saved Ben's life. This included removing part of his skull to alleviate the pressure the bleed was putting on his brain.
The operation itself has a relatively low chance of survival, but it was necessary to let the blood out.
Speaking about what happened, Ben said: "They told my dad before the surgery that there was a high chance I'd pass away.
"I was in hospital from then until early November, I was surprised they didn't keep me longer.
"I was told they had a huge shortage of beds."
Ben, who had previously worked at a cocktail bar in Falmouth, was left with a sizable chunk of the left-hand side of his skull missing after the operation. What used to be hardy bone protecting his brain is now just skin, meaning a knock to the head could well kill him.
He's able to, very carefully and equipped with a helmet, leave the house but Ben explained that he needs surgery to protect his head. The operation would see a piece of titanium built into where his skull was.
These pieces would, over a painstaking surgery, overlap, screw in, and form a new skull on his right side. The NHS offers such a vital operation, but Ben has been on the waiting list since October and was recently told it could yet be more than a year until it's his turn.
The alternative, private healthcare, has quoted his parents an eyewatering £25,000-£50,000 bill. He's hoping the good-will of the internet can help him, and has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the cranioplasty surgery.
Ben added: "I was not expecting that much money for the surgery. It's essential, if I took a knock I could die. Not having that piece of skull means I can’t work, skate, drive and much more which has left my life on pause."
You can donate towards Ben's fundraiser here.
