Student left paralysed after stepping on sea urchin
A student was left paralysed after being stung by a sea urchin while on holiday in Greece.
Callum Hall, 20, jumped off a boat into the sea off the island of Skiathos, stepping on the creature last summer.
The trainee PE teacher said: "It felt like a bee sting. I pulled three black spines out of my toe and thought no more of it."
But he developed a rare and deadly infection and an abscess twice the size of a tennis ball grew on his spine. When it burst, he needed life-saving surgery and was left without movement from the chest down.
He said he is ‘incredibly lucky’ to be alive and told the Daily Mail: "There is only a one in 50,000 chance of an abscess like that on your spine and it’s almost unheard of for a sea urchin to cause it."
He trod on the creature last summer and left hospital in a wheelchair last week. So far, he has regained some movement in his abdomen and can wiggle his toes.
Callum hopes to raise thousands of pounds for equipment to help him walk again and even plans to take part in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil.
He added: "There is still time and hope…but I will need financial help in order to get the right equipment, physio and resources I need to walk."
Diane
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