Veteran returns to UHNM to thank staff for helping him to achieve Invictus Games dream
A former patient from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has returned to the Royal Stoke University Hospital to thank the staff who helped him achieve his dream of competing in the Invictus Games.
Army veteran Rob Shenton,52, broke his neck and fractured his skull cycling close to his Biddulph Moor home in August 2020 requiring treatment from UHNM’s Acute Rehabilitation Trauma Unit (ARTU) and Therapies department.
Rob, who represented Team GB in Nordic skiing and indoor rowing at the Games in Canada earlier this year, has returned to the Royal Stoke during Armed Forces Week to present his Team GB kit to the staff who supported his rehabilitation.
Rob, who served on missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan during his military career, said: “I was out riding on my bike when I lost control and banged my head on a tree. I broke six vertebrae in my neck and fractured my lower skull and left shoulder socket. It has been difficult recovery, I have lost a lot of movement in my neck and about 65 per cent mobility of my spine.”
Rob, who served in the army for 25 years before turning to fitness to help with his mental health and wellbeing, had previously applied to take part in the Invictus Games three times, and it was while he continued to train and apply that he suffered his accident.
He said: “After being medically discharged from the army with mental health issues eight years ago, it has been a life goal of mine to compete in the Invictus Games and this was the fourth time I’d applied to be part of the team. I was very lucky to have been able to take six-month off work beforehand to train on my strength, conditioning and endurance. I knew in some cases I’d be competing against people 20 or 30 years younger than me, so concentrated on getting as fit as possible so I could hold mine own against them.
“The opening ceremony in Vancouver had 40,000 people in attendance, and walking out to a full stadium alongside pop stars like Chris Martin and Katy Perry was incredible. The love coming from the crowd was extraordinary, as was the support for the teams from members of the public, I was being stopped in the street and asked what I was competing in.
“I was selected as team captain for Nordic skiing and finished in nineteenth out of 42 in the 750m sprint event held at the former Whistler Winter Olympics course. The crowd engagement during this event felt phenomenal. The rowing was harder work, but again the crowds made the difference and I was able to achieve a personal best in both the one- and four-minute events.”
An ultra-marathon runner Rob has previously completed three of the toughest races in the world, the Marathon Des Sables, Everest Marathon and North Pole Marathon. He’s also fundraised for UHNM Charity in memory of his father and to thank staff involved in his recovery.
Founded by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games is multi-sport competition for wounded or sick military personnel and veterans.
Rob said: “None of this would have been possible without the incredible staff at UHNM. I really wanted to make the donation to say thank you for all the work they have done because they quite literally saved my life. Having been in the rehab gyms at Royal stoke and being at that low point having the collar on my neck and almost learning how to walk again, I thought this might inspire somebody to keep going. In just over four years I’ve gone from taking a few steps at the side of my bed and climbing a few steps in the corridor, to competing in an international sporting event.”
Michelle Parkinson, senior therapy technical instructor was involved in Rob’s care on ARTU.
She said: “Seeing people like Rob makes your job all the better. You come to work every day wanting this sort of thing to happen but often never see the end of the journey, so to see how well Rob is so rewarding, and to think he has competed the Invictus Games is amazing.”
UHNM’s Armed Forces Champions team provides holistic support to members of the armed forces community receiving care at the Royal Stoke and County Hospital, Stafford. The team are marking Armed Forces Week with a series of drop-in events and special ‘armed forces breakfast’ at both sites.
David Smith, transformation project manager and armed forces champion at UHNM, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome Rob back to the Royal Stoke and hear first-hand how well he’s done in the Invictus Games. The staff at UHNM were an integral part of his journey back to recovery, and Rob’s story is also a testament to the support former service men and women receive here as part of our ‘veteran aware’ accreditation.”
Rob’s Team GB kit will be displayed at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.