An Angus teenager who nearly died in a mountain biking accident is learning to run again three years later.
Wil Ritchie was in a coma and on a ventilator in Ninewells Hospital for three weeks after suffering a serious brain injury.
The Forfar Academy pupil was biking with pals at Balmashanner Hill in July 2020 when he was injured in a fall.
He spent more than nine months in hospital.
As part of his recovery, the 17-year-old had to learn to walk again – and is now running thanks to specialist equipment used by NHS Tayside.
It involves a hoist being attached to a bodyweight support treadmill which provides data to physiotherapy staff to show how the patient is progressing.
Wil can now run for about 15 minutes and cover 1.5km with the help of the machine – five times longer than he can do without it.
Wil – who hopes to become a physiotherapist when he is older – said: “I always like to run as fast as I can.
‘To see him running is amazing’
“I can see the hoist benefiting so many people who are making progress just like me and also those who were just like me when I first started rehab. It will really help people.
“I have only used it a few times so far. It was a little strange to get used to at first but it really helps. I can do more and push myself harder.”
Mum Karen said: “This new machine is amazing. We couldn’t believe what Wil was able to do the first time he tried it.
“He has only used it a few times so far but it has helped him enormously.
“We are so proud of him, he’s a very positive person and he never gives up. He has just worked so hard every day, supported by the physio team.
“To see him running as fast as he can is an amazing thing.
“He is much more confident after using it and you can see his running technique has improved – he’s bringing his knees up more and doing more than he could ever do.”
Conversation