A Perth teenager has walked out of hospital, six months after breaking his neck in a swimming accident that turned his life upside down.
Matthew Haylett dived head-first into water at Mullaloo Beach in March, unaware a sandbank lay just beneath the surface.
Matthew Haylett left hospital this week, six months after a swimming accident turned his world upside down.Credit: 9News Perth
His friend rushed into the water to rescue him, an act that saved Haylett’s life.
The then-17-year-old spent a month at Royal Perth Hospital after spinal surgery and was told he may never walk again. He was paralysed from his neck down.
“That was strange – [it] felt like my head was floating, [I’d] slowly get some feeling back, I could move my arm … then I got a twitch in my leg”, Haylett told 9News Perth ahead of his discharge this week.
The teenager was transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital to continue his recovery, celebrating his 18th birthday in the midst of a gruelling rehabilitation program to learn how to walk again.
He completed a dozen gym sessions a week for five months, and spent countless hours in the pool during appointments with physios and occupational therapists.
Despite the strong bonds he has created with nurses and fellow patients, Haylett said he was ready to leave the hospital.
“I can’t wait to go home, I’m sick of this place,” he said.
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