The family of a man who was left blind following a bizarre accident on his commute to work have expressed their "eternal gratitude" to the generous community that rallied around him.
Ian Tilston, 35, was travelling on the M56 from his North Wales home to Nantwich in January 2022, when his vehicle was suddenly hit by a horse. The animal had strayed from its field and onto the motorway, where it was hit by another car and flung directly into Ian's path.
He sustained severe injuries and was immediately taken to Salford Royal Hospital for emergency brain surgery. He was later transferred to The Walton Centre for additional operations to reconstruct his face, which was "crushed" in the collision, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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Ian spent over a year at The Walton Centre while his family, including his older brother Adam, worked tirelessly to raise enough funds to purchase and adapt a bungalow to accommodate his new, complex needs - he had suffered significant brain damage, lost his sight, and was unable to walk or even move independently.
After spending 771 days in hospital and a care home in Wrexham, thanks to the donations of hundreds of kind-hearted individuals, Ian was finally able to return home to his family in February.
Adam expressed his heartfelt gratitude: "My mum and stepdad had to sell the family home to buy the bungalow, and the money we raised through the GoFundMe was used to adapt it. Without the GoFundMe, we definitely wouldn't have got him home. He would still be stuck in the care system. His old house wouldn't have met his needs, so it has been life-changing and we're eternally grateful."
He added that his family's life has significantly changed as they care for Ian: "My mum and stepdad are now full-time carers for Ian, and we have carers visiting four times a day. They've had to change their whole lives for Ian, as any parent would do." You can donate here.
Adam said that more than two years after the accident, Ian has shown huge progress and resilience, though he faces continued challenges with his memory
"His short term memory has got better, but if I visit him today, if I come back two days later he won't remember," he added.
Talking about moments they share during the football season, he said: "He's been following England in the Euros; he'll sit and listen to a match but he won't retain the result in his head. It's been great that I've been able to go round when the football is on and watch it with him like the old days. He's not lost his sense of humour, despite all the adversity he's faced. He's still positive, even with everything that's gone against him.
"The hardest thing to come to terms with is his eyesight. He's got damage to his optic nerves, and at the moment there's nothing we can do. Vision Support have been really helpful. A lot of people who work for Vision Support have sight loss themselves, so they have helped him to adapt."
He added: "Ian has his up days and his down days. His main frustration is his eyesight. In a way it is a blessing he doesn't have his short-term memory on point, because most of the time he'd be in his wheelchair or bed and sometimes he doesn't fully understand where he is. He constantly asks us 'where am I? '. Some days he does sit there and he gets angry about it. He is aware that he had an accident, and he does retain some things.
"He's an inspiration to me because he cracks on. He has a laugh with anyone. His carers and psychiatrists all speak highly of him. He's just trying to live his life."
Ian's online fundraiser remains active, with all incoming donations going towards Ian's ongoing private physiotherapy.
Adam said: "My hope is we can get him more mobile. He was doing really well until he had a setback with the seizure. We'd love for his vision to come back, but I'm a realist and I know unless there's some sort of major scientific breakthrough, that won't be possible.
"All we want is for Ian to live a comfortable and happy life, which he is now, only a stone's throw away from his siblings, nieces and nephews. He will have to have more surgery on his brain. He's going to face more trials in the future, and it's not going to be a case of 'happily ever after'. There will be days of worrying about him. He's always going to need The Walton Centre. We're just enjoying the time with him that we can."
