Seafront fall survivor reunites with hospital staff

A man who nearly died in a fall on Brighton seafront has been reunited with some of the medical staff who cared for him.

Noah Rees, 26, from Peacehaven was in a coma for six weeks at the Royal Sussex County Hospital after falling through a railing.

Having to learn to walk and talk again, he spent 14 months in rehabilitation centres in London and Ashford.

"It was a horrible time for my family, me, my friends. The people here really helped us all through that so we're all very grateful for them," Rees said.

Claire Frampton, a junior sister at the hospital in Brighton who cared for Noah during his treatment, said it was lovely to see him again.

She saw his improvements "day by day, week by week", she said.

"I always remember with Noah the smile, and it's like you can see Noah coming through, you can see him coming back," she added.

His mother, Anna Rees, said: "We spent so much time here, and it was traumatic.

"That's the only word I can use because we didn't know at that point if he was going to live or die."

Noah Rees was 18 when his life changed forever on a night out in Brighton in 2019.

He leant on a railing on the seafront and fell 32ft (10m).

It left him with his back broken in three places, a fractured skull and broken ribs, and he had to learn to walk and talk again.

Now he has begun training and working towards his dream of competing at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Ward manager Gemma Godden described his recovery as "truly inspirational" and said it showed "a lot of his own determination".

"It is incredibly hard work to recover from this type of injury and it shows a lot of his own grit," she added.

Noah was a keen rugby player before his fall, with dreams of playing professionally.

With his injuries making that impossible he has taken up frame running, where athletes use a three-wheeled frame to run on a track, a sport set to make its debut at the 2028 Paralympic games.

Describing how it feels to take part, Rees said: "Actually being able to move a bit quickly, it's lovely.

"The best feeling you can have."

He is now working towards qualifying for the World Championships and the Paralympics, sharing his journey on social media.

"What's the alternative?" he asked. "You sit in bed and you get sad about where you are? No.

"You get up and you do stuff to change where you are."

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