Peter Cooper |
| Date: 13/06 Submitted by: Alan Tees Peter had a fairly serious fall in Wales and is now is Wrexham hospital. He has a compound fracture of the ankle, and broke several ribs. He will have to go through surgery tomorrow. We are all thinking about you, Sheila, and the girls, Peter, and wish you a speedy recovery. 13 Jun 2009 Very sorry to here the news. Hope all goes well tomorrow and you make a good recovery Peter. 14 Jun 2009 A speedy recovery, Brother Cooper! 14 Jun 2009 Very sorry to hear that. Hope you make a speedy recovery. 14 Jun 2009 Best wishes and speedy recovery Peter. 14 Jun 2009 Sounds painful. Hope you're on the mend soon Obi Wan. 14 Jun 2009 My thoughts are with you and hope you make a full recovery. 14 Jun 2009 Latest news is that he's been transferred out of Wrexham and will probably go to Manchester - Hope Hospital (as in, there's a li'l place called Hope). He had 4 hours of surgery last night and is lined up for more because his foot/ankle/leg are a bit of a mess. Accident was caused by failure of a bolt and/or lower-off chain. 14 Jun 2009 Speedy recovery Pete. A lesson for all, fixed gear is never to be trusted!! 15 Jun 2009 Dave Williams, who was climbing with Pete has added a short report here http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=359601 15 Jun 2009 So sorry to hear the news, thinking of you and wishing you a speedy recovery. 16 Jun 2009 So shocked to hear the news. Hope you're back on top form soon. 16 Jun 2009 Thinking of you Peter and wishing you a speedy recovery 16 Jun 2009 Just had a 'phone call from Peter. He's in grand form and planning how to get his leg back to full strength so that he can start climbing as soon as possible. He's suffering in all sorts of ways, but he genuinely sounds like he's in good form. 16 Jun 2009 sorry to hear about your accident Pete, but glad that you in good fighting form! getter better soon, so that we can go out climbing again. 16 Jun 2009 Hope you are back climbing soon, Peter. 16 Jun 2009 Yeah sorry to hear about this, sounds really unlucky. Hope you make a speedy recovery pete. 17 Jun 2009 Pete Smith has asked me to add a few words here. First of all I'd like to say a bit about what happened last Saturday. Peter and I had travelled up to NE Wales to do some sport climbing on the limestone cliffs above Llangollen. We were having a really good day. We'd done a number of Fr 6a and 6b routes which we'd both led. This was a 'new' experience for Peter and he took to it like a duck to water. We'd finished off on a route called 'Impact Imminent' (Yes, ... I know!), which was graded 6b, but we'd both really struggled on it as it was clearly under graded, more like Fr 6c+ than 6b we thought. Just as we were finishing, Peter said he wanted to climb the route again on a top rope to see if he could climb it in better style. He flashed it in brilliant style. He then fell while being lowered off. I won't dwell too much on the accident itself other than to say that, somehow or other, Peter's rope came out of the lower-off maillon. I don't think we'll ever really know how this happened. After he fell I was very lucky to be helped by 3 other climbers who were truly fantastic. One of them organised the air ambulance call out and the helicopter was on the ground at the base of the cliff within 20 mins of the accident. We'd managed to make Peter as comfortable as possible in the meantime and had carried out as much first aid as we could. He was in a great deal of pain but remained conscious throughout. Following an extremely skillful landing in a very tight spot, the medevac paramedics took about 10 mins to stabilise him, he was then carried to the helicopter and the transfer to Wrexham hospital by air took about 5 mins. He was in A&E within 45 mins of the time of the the accident. I followed by car. The A&E doctor and nurses were brilliant and I was completely kept 'in the loop' by them. As soon as I was fully and accurately informed as to the extent of Peter's injuries, I phoned Alan Tees (thanks to Geoff for getting his phone number to me) and he went and broke the bad news to Sheila. Sheila and I then spoke for the first of several times that night. X rays and CT scans showed that Peter's injuries were extensive and he was very lucky to be alive. He had a number of broken ribs. He'd broken his left heel bone. He had a broken vertebrae in his lower back but his spinal cord was still intact. He also had a very serious and nasty leg injury, an open compound fracture of the tibia and ankle resulting in his foot almost being severed from his right leg. I stayed with Peter until after he'd been transferred to a ward bed at around 11.30pm. His leg was then operated on at 2am on Sunday morning. We'd been told that this would be the first of a number of operations over the coming weeks and that he'd also need plastic surgery on his leg. On Sunday, Peter was transferred to a 'Centre of Excellence' hospital in Salford where he would receive the appropriate orthopaedic and plastic surgery treatment. Tim Sparrow and I visited Peter there on Sunday evening and met his mother and step father who, fortunately, only live about half an hour from the hospital. Since then I have spoken with Peter every day and also kept in contact with Sheila. Tim and I will be travelling up from Mid Wales later today to visit him again. His mother has been visiting him every day. Mark, one of the lads who came to Peter's assistance on Saturday and who lives in Stockport, also went to see Peter yesterday. Peter, ever the optimist, is in remarkably good spirits despite being in a great deal of pain. His leg's being operated on again this morning (Wednesday 17th June), with another op scheduled for Friday morning. Sheila and the girls are flying in to Liverpool on Friday and the family will then be reunited once more. It'll probably take a good while, but I'm very hopeful that he'll make a complete recovery and will eventually be able to climb once again. I met Peter for the first time this last April, when I joined him and Geoff to climb in North Wales, but by now I feel as if I've known him for years. Characteristically for him, on that very first day we climbed together, Peter spotted an unclimbed line and we finished off our day with a new route - 'Un Bach' ('Little One'), HVS 5a. I'll keep updating you as to how he's progressing. 18 Jun 2009 We visited Peter last night and he was in very good spirits. Sheila and the girls were flying to Liverpool today (18th June) and I drove the Multipla up to Manchester last night so that Peter's step dad can pick them up from the airport in it. His right leg was operated on yesterday and they'd basically just opened it up to have a look and make sure that there was no infection. They'd also played around with the fixator and left his leg unplastered. They are intending to operate on it again tomorrow morning. He'd also been seen by a physiotherapist who helped him with his breathing problems due to the broken ribs. His spine will also need to be operated on in order to fit a titanium brace, but this is not a priority at the moment. 19 Jun 2009 Thanks for keeping us up to date Dave. We're all thinking about him so pass on our best wishes. 23 Jun 2009 I've had a long chat with Peter earlier today and he sounded really good. He's now resigned to being in hospital for some considerable time. He had further surgery this morning (23 June). They found a bit of 'scrap' ankle bone floating around somewhere (which, according to Peter, they binned) and have begun to close up the large leg wound a bit too. He's in theatre again tomorrow morning for the first of several operations to fuse the right ankle. They've also told him that he might not need as much plastic surgery (muscle and skin grafts), or even any at all, which is good news. I'll be visiting him again tomorrow night. 25 Jun 2009 Had a text from Peter this morning. 5 hours of surgery went OK yesterday and he's self-medicating on morphine. Sounds happy! 25 Jun 2009 I took Sheila to visit Peter after his marathon surgery session had ended last night. They'd done two back-to-back operations in adjacent operating theatres yesterday. They did some more work on the ankle and also they've also fused and braced the broken vertebrae in his spine. So he'll now be able to sit up in bed for the first time since his accident which I think will make a huge difference to him. There's obviously still a long way to go but things are going very well so far. 02 Jul 2009 We went to see Peter last night and found him on good form. He was sitting up in bed and could move about on the bed, something we hadn't seen him do before. He'd even spent 20 mins in a bedside chair yeasterday for the first time. He had us in stitches when he related one of the more unfortunate side effects of taking warfarin. (Use your imagination!!) The day before hadn't been a good day for him since Sheila and the girls said their goodbuyes and he'd also been told that his right leg will always be a bit shorter than the other one from now on. We discussed his shorter leg issues at length and did our best to make light of it. Peter even said that he'd fit in well with some of the locals in Donegal. Whatever happens, it's not an insurmountable problem. He also mentioned that they were eventually going to put his leg in a Lazaroff frame. Please keep texting and phoning him since it's clear that he's going to be in hospital for a good while yet. In the meantime we'll be going to see him every week while he's still there. I'll keep you all posted. 03 Jul 2009 Thanks Dave. Was on hols for a week and am just checking back to hear the latest about our brave soldier. Send him my regards. The obvious way to sort the legs length problem is to shave a bit off the other one. 08 Jul 2009 PC had a skin graft and the hospital wants to chuck him out as soon as possible (his words). He won't be able to use crutches yet, so I'm not sure he has a release date. He got a lend of a computer and was on the site - says he was 'very touched' when he saw this page. 10 Jul 2009 Good news. He's hoping to be discharged for the weekend, but it may be delayed while they check his mum's house for wheelchair access. 10 Jul 2009 Yes, he's a very happy man at the moment. With luck Peter will be out of hospital very soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow, but he'll be confined to a wheelchair though. For the time being, his treatment is complete and he'll be monitored as an out patient by the hospital while he stays at his mum's house in Manchester. This will be for at least 2 weeks and during this time they'll be checking on the progress and viability of the skin graft. If all's well he'll then be allowed to return home. :-) A Lazaroff Frame will be fitted to his leg later on and the possibility of having this done in Belfast has been discussed, as well as the many further operations that'll be needed on his leg. He will have to wear the Frame for between 5-12 months, depending on healing speed etc. The frame will let his ankle fuse on its own. The doctors are all quite confident that, in time, he'll get back on rock again. 15 Jul 2009 Unfortunately he didn't get out. He's expecting at least another week in there. He says the worst thing is the boredom - he's got books and the radio but wants a walk and a climb! 16 Jul 2009 Yes, he's still in Salford hospital although there's now no medical reason for still being there. It's all down to Occupational Health and a needlessly stupid paperwork issue as to who picks up the bill for the equipment to be provided at his mum's house in south Manchester, which is under a different Health Trust to Salford where he's being treated. He's going to have to stay in hospital until the bean-counters sort it out to their mutual satisfaction! 22 Jul 2009 Peter is still in hospital. Looks like he won't be able to get out till he's on crutches, which is another few weeks at least. Breaking news (excuse the pun) is that Dave Williams himself has had a fall and broken his heel. He's in Wrexham Hospital now. With Alan's broken hand, that's three accidents in the last few weeks. Anyone superstitious? 28 Jul 2009 He's out of hospital. Anyone who wants to ring him can ask Anthony for a number. 08 Aug 2009 Well, now that Peter has returned to 'the fair isle', this'll be my last post. Pete S has already told you all about my misfortune whilst cragging. Sheila thinks Peter and I must be cursed [and I bow to her superior knowledge in this respect!] I have managed to completley pulverise my heel and it'll take about 12 months and several operations 'till I'm mobile again. In the meantime, I'll have to get some training done because there has to be a Cooper vs Williams challenge wheelchair race before too long!! All the best to you all. 14 Aug 2009 Hi everyone, just want to briefly say thanks to all of you for messages, phone calls and texts; they've been much appreciated. A very big thank you to all those who contributed to a collection for me, esp GT, it was a lovely shock to open the envelope and find the cheques (none have bounced, either!); I'm sure folks can imagine what a big help your kindness has been when there's next to no money coming in. I got out of hospital after 6 weeks of bed rest and operations, but will be going back for further operations which will keep me off the new routing for at least a year. Which means you can all get busy new-routing, while I don't have that distraction the guidebook can progress. Dave Williams is having great fun in the Maelor hospital Wrexham, he's just had an op this week to try and begin to sort his mashed-up calcanus and talus (heel & foot bones). I managed to get a surprised look on his face, before returning home I managed to visit him without letting him know I was going; so his look was priceless when I wheeled myself into his room. He is out of action, climbing-wise, for about 8mths. Thanks again to all of you Peter. 15 Aug 2009 Awwww. Isn't that nice? |
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13 Jun 2009
Pete
Terribly sorry to hear that. I hope he makes a quick return to health.