In 2009, aged just 17, Max suffered a C5/6 complete spinal cord injury whilst playing rugby for Truro School in Cornwall. Prior to his accident he lived an active life enjoying numerous sports and had lived on four continents due to his military upbringing.
Since the accident Max has strived to continue his lifestyle. He spent nine months in hospital, 6 of which were in Salisbury Spinal Treatment Centre, where he first discovered INSPIRE and felt a connection with our aims. After hospital he went straight back to Truro School to complete his A levels, achieving 2As and a B, despite missing many weeks with bouts of UTI, skin problems and exhaustion.
Following a gap year spent in and around Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) he went to the University of East Anglia where he gained a first class BSc in Business Economics, before taking up a scholarship and achieving a Merit in a Development Economics degree at master’s level.
He has since moved to East London where he has used the degrees in his work for the Government Economic Service, seconded to the Department for Work & Pensions. During his 7 years he has worked on a Pensions white paper, forecasted expenditure on disability benefits, analysed customer complaints and now leads the Ethnic Minority & Disadvantaged groups Analysis team.
In his spare time Max is still an avid sports fan, regularly attending West Ham football (where he has a season ticket), Twickenham for the rugby and visiting various F1 tracks around the world, and was thrilled to meet his tetraplegic hero Sir Frank Williams before his death, also taking a spin driving in an adapted vehicle at Snetterton racetrack! He also plays wheelchair rugby with London Wheelchair Rugby Club. He is still passionate about Travel and participating in any activity he is offered. With a mind to showing newly injured people that there is a life after injury he has started a YouTube channel showing his adventures called TheTetraTravels. He has recently started performing Stand Up comedy in various clubs throughout London.
Max has always been a keen supporter of disability rights and research in general, having other members of his family who also have different disabilities. This is why he gravitated towards INSPIRE and feels now is the right time to take a more active role. He hopes that he can help illustrate SCI in a positive light while highlighting the issues that come with his disability and how important research can be. He will be attending various INSPIRE events & highlighting the charity in his personal time. In September he is aiming to be the highest level spinal injured person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and will be raising funds to support INSPIRE alongside other charities with which he has close connections.