Jordan Butterworth, 30, is facing months of physio and the possibility of permanent paralysis after he was badly injured while larking about in a swimming pool on holiday in Crete
A Brit could be paralysed for life after a freak accident while he was playing in a pool on a dream Greek holiday.
Jordan Butterworth, 30, was out on holiday in Crete with a friend when his time enjoying the Mediterranean sun would come crashing to a halt when he dislocated his neck and damaged his spinal cord.
After the accident on July 3, he was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery to try and heal the damage to his nervous system, with Jordan now going through physio sessions to try and reduce the prospect of permanent paralysis.
But now the family is facing another nightmare as despite the pair taking out travel insurance, his sister has revealed the company is refusing to pay out due to Jordan having alcohol in his system at the time.
Speaking to LancsLive, Sarah explained: “On the day of the accident Jordan and Nathan decided to have a chilled day at the hotel instead of going to a boat party they had booked.
“They sat down for lunch and a couple of drinks and then decided to play ball in the pool. While retrieving the ball Nathan has turned around to see Jordan unconscious in the water.”
Luckily friend Nathan Rostron, 26, sprang into action and got his friend into a local hospital where it was found that there was damage to his neck and he had fractured several cervical bones, causing stress to build on the spinal cord and potentially causing permanent nerve damage.
Following surgery to stabilise his neck, Jordan’s mother travelled to the Greek island to remain by his side as the family work relentlessly to gather enough cash to safely bring him home.
Sarah added: “As a family we are eternally grateful to Nathan for his quick thinking and reaction times saving Jordan’s life by performing CPR and getting further help.
“This was a genuine accident that could happen to anybody. It has been absolutely heart-breaking to watch what Jordan has had to go through – but our main focus is to keep him as positive as he can be.
“Once we get him back to England we hope to get some clearer information on what options we have to hopefully improve the condition he is in now.”
In just a few weeks the community has come out to support the family, having set up a GoFundMe that has raised nearly £5,000 around a third of their current target.
The family added: “Unfortunately we are now facing a huge financial cost to repatriate Jordan back home from Greece to the UK to receive ongoing medical care in a hospital here in the UK.
“Jordan now just really wants to come back home to concentrate on his mental and physical recovery after such challenging and stressful circumstances, and we are all desperate to get him back home.”
