Friends rally to help young Yeadon man's fight (From Wharfedale Observer)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting WONEWS to 80360, or email
Friends rally to help young Yeadon man's fight
9:00am Monday 11th March 2013 in Local news By Annette McIntyre
Callum Hall, who has been struck down by a rare paralysing infection
The courage of a young man who was paralysed after stepping on a sea urchin has prompted a wave of fundraising.
Twenty-year-old Callum Hall was fit and healthy and studying for a sports degree before the fateful holiday to Greece last year.
Three weeks later he was left fighting for his life and paralysed from the chest down by a rare spinal infection.
Callum, who is back at home in Yeadon with his parents, has been told he is unlikely to walk again, but he is determined to prove doctors wrong.
He is appealing for help in buying the latest state-of-the-art equipment to help him regain movement in the crucial 18-month period following the onset of paralysis.
Ultimately, Callum wants to take part in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil, but the immediate aim is to raise £20,000 for treatment and equipment.
His courage and determination have prompted a wave of support, including fundraising by staff at The Station pub in Guiseley where he used to be a barman. Friends from Northumbria University, where Callum was training to be a PE teacher, are organising a fundraising event at Ilkley Golf Club on Friday, March 29.
Last month people in Ilkley gave to the appeal through collection buckets at Boots, and now he has been chosen as one of the beneficiaries of a charity beer festival organised by Guiseley and District Lions.
The beer festival will take place on May 17 and 19 at Coopers in Guiseley. Tickets are £5 each, available behind the bar.
To find out more, go to callumhalltrust.com or make a donation at The Station pub.
