AFTER more than a year in rehab, a father paralysed in a car crash which killed his fiancee and son, is set to finally come home.
Michael Shiel has spent the last year flat out on his back at Stoke Mandeville Hospital’s spinal injuries centre in Buckinghamshire, following his accident in the Philippines on New Year’s Eve in 2008.
The 57-year-old lost his fiancee Maria, 25, and 14-month-old son Charlie in the crash, which his daughter Elizabeth survived.
Mr Shiel says he is looking forward to being reunited with three-year-old Elizabeth, who has been living with his sister Josephine, when he returns to his home in Turpington Lane, Bromley next month.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the former carpenter said: “Elizabeth comes here most Sundays. It's wonderful to see her growing up. I have some beautiful pictures on the wall of her.
“She's going to playschool now. What's really rewarding is she's such a happy person.”
Mr Shiel says he was devastated not to be able to see Maria and Charlie’s grave after his accident and vows to one day take Elizabeth back to the Philippines to pay tribute.
He said: “I'd like to visit their graves and I don't know what significance it would have for Elizabeth. She's maybe too young, in which case I may wait til she’s older. But I’d like to do it soon.”
After his crash Mr Shiel was stranded in the Philippines for three months because computer problems meant he had been unable to take out travel insurance before flying out.
Friends and family rallied round to raise £25,000 to bring him back to the UK in March last year.
Mr Shiel, who is paralysed from the neck down but has limited use of his hands, says it took a while before he came to terms with the deaths of Maria and Charlie.
He said: “As far as I know, Maria was killed outright and Charlie hurt his head and died in hospital.
“It didn't affect me til Christmas time (when I went home). I see psychologists here and I used to say, it's disturbing I haven’t shown any emotion.
“Then came Christmas time and it really hit with me a vengeance. I could not stop crying. I had five days of delirium at home. I came to terms with it after that period.”
Despite complications in his recovery caused by recurrent kidney stones, Mr Shiel has undergone a series of lifting exercises with his hands to prepare himself for life back home.
He said: “I made it quite clear, I don't want to go home and be a burden to anyone.
“I've been trying to improve my balance so I can transfer from a bed to a wheelchair without using an electric hoist.
“I still have very limited use of my hands and they're slowly improving.
“It'll be an ongoing process for some time but I expect to get more usage if I do the right exercises.”
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