A 21-year-old accident survivor has thanked those who saved his life as he arrived back home this week for Christmas after a serious fall in Vietnam.
Family and friends of injured Joe Ridley, from Bassenthwaite, have extra reason to celebrate the festivities as they finally close the door on a worrying end to 2022.
On a dream trip to South East Asia, Joe lost his balance at a popular viewpoint and plunged 30ft into rocks below on a tour to the mountainous Hà Giang Loop in Vietnam – popular with tourists for its soaring scenery, dangerous roads and jaw-dropping canyons.
Keen fisherman, Joe, an aquaculture and fisheries management student, who studied at Newton Rigg College, Penrith, before taking a degree at Winchester, was knocked unconscious in the fall on November 16 – bleeding from the ears, and suffering bleeding on the brain.
After a stop-start ambulance journey taking nine hours in which he drifted in an out of consciousness, Joe ended up spending three weeks in a private hospital in the Thailand capital, having suffered a fractured skull, a broken collar bone, and a chunk of bone chipped from his hip.
He also suffered half-paralysis to the face, and was put into a medically-induced coma for an operation on his inner ear.
Mum Rachel, who works as a teacher at Ullswater Community College, Penrith, immediately made a frantic 26-hour dash to his bedside, while his father David, and sisters Chloe, 23, a nurse in Leeds, and Grace, 20, away travelling in Australia, anxiously waited for updates.
Officials repeatedly warned the family and those who rescued him that Joe might not survive.
He remembers coming around a fortnight after the fall when he was moved wards, but to this day has no memory of the day prior to the accident or the events of it, only the accounts of those who went to help.
On Monday, Joe was finally allowed to return to the family home after staying in the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, where he has been monitored ever since being flown back to England by his insurers accompanied by private nurses.
Joe and his family said they wanted to express their gratitude to the many people who played a role in his survival – not least two people who had been virtual strangers on the tour.
Fellow traveller Sid climbed down to help Joe and followed him on the long journey to hospital as well as shelling out £2,500 of his own money to pay for Joe’s care before the insurance was sorted.
Sid also stayed by his side, having only met him just over a week before. Another traveller, Melanie, and three nurses who happened to be part of another group at the scene of the accident, also went to assist along with three other men – with Melanie also making the trip to see Joe in hospital.
Joe, who is finding his feet again but will temporarily need to rely on a wheelchair until he regains his ability to walk unaided, gave thanks to the kindness of the “big group” of people who he had never met and would never meet again, who had all played a part.
“Laying in a hospital bed for as long I have, I’ve had a lot of time to think about life and it’s made me realise I’m a very lucky person and how very fortunate I am to be here,” said Joe.
Those involved in his care had since downplayed their roles, but to Joe and his family, it meant the world.
He said: “I managed to make good friends with the people who saved me – they did all that they could and were absolutely great and I have told them that. I would just like to say thanks again to all the people who have helped me out, and all those who have given me their best wishes “
Sister Chloe added: “Knowing that Joe had some friendly faces, Sid and Melanie, visiting him before my mum could get out to Vietnam and who had so generously paid for his first few days of care despite only meeting him a few days earlier brought us so much comfort. It shows there really are good people in the world. We can never thank them enough.”
Dad David added: “We didn’t know if he was going to survive. When it happened you can imagine it was a very nasty shock but the response totally restored your faith in human nature. They saved his life.
“The British Embassy was also incredible and the hospital in Thailand were absolutely marvellous. He has been so well cared for, it’s untrue.”
The family were keen to emphasise the need for people to get travel insurance, as without it they could have faced medical bills of up to £20,000.
As for Joe, he now can’t wait to enjoy Christmas. While his road to full recovery is not yet over with his short-term memory still affected and regular hospital visits required, he is grateful for the chance of getting back to doing normal things like catching up with friends, walking the family dog, or caring for his pet Siamese fighting fish.
To celebrate New Year, it’s his family’s turn to host a bunch of relatives from all over the country and as well as toasting Joe’s survival, he is determined to whip-up his signature dish of lasagne for them – a routine activity he will never take for granted again.
The passionate fisherman, whose first fish was a hefty 3lb perch which he caught at the tender age of three, also harbours ambitions of one day running his own international business. The plan is to import and export tropical fish from South East Asia – flying out to exotic locations to hand-pick the best.
For now though, he has more local ambitions: “As soon as I can walk again, I’ll be fishing just as soon as I can get out to the lakes or ponds,” he said.
