WATCH: First signs of movement from Aviemore athlete David Smith following life-saving surgery
Aviemore paralympic athlete David Smith says he's making progress as he recovers from life-saving surgery on his spine.
Aviemore paralympic athlete David Smith says he's making progress as he recovers from life-saving surgery on his spine.
The 37-year-old, who’ll have to learn to walk again after doctors removed a tumour from his spine, says he now has movement in his wrist and one finger.
He’s been tweeting fans from his hospital bed to update them on this progress.
Smith won gold in rowing at the London Paralympics in 2012 and hoped to compete in Rio this summer in cycling, despite learning that a tumour on his spine had returned. He planned to put off surgery until after this summer's games but received the news the growing tumour is just 8mm from his spine and if left would crush his spinal cord and stop him breathing. Smith won gold following two operations on his spine and was briefly left paralysed after major surgery in 2010 which involved surgeons cutting into his spinal cord and removing three vertebrae. Although initially unable to walk, he was determined to return to sport and as complications caused by the surgery ruled out rowing, he turned to paracycling instead - setting his sights on Rio. He was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours list for 2012.