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| address: | Trennick Lane, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 1TH |
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Max Levene
28th June 2010
Since we last updated you two discharge dates from the Spinal Unit have come and gone, May 18th and Jun 16th; a third has been set for Jun 30th and for the first time we feel that we are all as prepared for leaving as we are ever going to be. It’s a situation that patients in the unit liken to ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’; everyone is desperate to leave but when the date approaches they are begging for some extra time ‘inside’.
For Max the extra time has been a positive experience in that he is making advances in his ‘transfers’ and in physiotherapy; that is moving himself, with some assistance, from bed/car to wheelchair, and vice versa. This makes a huge difference to lifestyle in that it avoids the necessity for a hoist, thereby simplifying travel arrangements and easing arrangements for staying over at other locations than home. A couple of medical issues have also been smoothed out during the extra time at the unit.
Our recent trial weekend at Yvonne’s parents’ house in Cornwall proved successful despite several pieces of equipment that were not as we had planned. The supply of a large 8ft long hospital bed has rather scuppered plans for a spacious wet room being situated in the bedroom and we are still in the throws of sorting ramps and wider doors within the house.
That said, on the positive side, the main reason for the visit to Cornwall was the Hall for Cornwall concert being performed by Truro School pupils, former pupils, teachers and guests. The local estate agents, Lilicrap Chilcott, were magnificent in sponsoring the costs of the concert, meaning that all the ticket sales from the event were able to be put into Max’s trust fund, which has now been set up by the school. The concert was superb, in our opinion knocking spots off even the best performances from UK talent shows, and we would like to thank Mr Homer for the effort and time he committed to putting on such a fabulous event. Truro school, the rugby community and the wider Cornish community continue to be amazing in their support for Max. We are not Cornish but, after the support we have been given, we realise how great it is to belong to such a great county. Recent events have included participants in the castle to castle swim (and run) along with the ‘British Legends against Cornish Legends’ rugby match organised, at considerable personal effort, by Mr Whitmore, Max’s PE teacher and (former) rugby coach. Our thanks go to all the musicians, rugby players, runners and swimmers who took part in all these events.
The final event planned is a John o’Groats to Land’s End cycle ride in July being completed by 6 of Max’s school pals. They are each cycling the whole way, not as a relay event – extremely challenging. Good luck to them all.
Anyway, to cut things short, life seems to be looking up and we sense that we might soon achieve some form of normality away from residential rehabilitation care. Max enjoyed meeting his pals in the familiar surroundings of Truro, and away from the hospital. He now has a live-in carer who takes the strain of Max’s day to day care and thereby eases some of the pressure from Yvonne , and Max is really looking forward to returning to school in September, albeit in the year below the one he left last October. To paraphrase Churchill; this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end but it may well be the end of the beginning.
Thanks to all.
Guy & Yvonne Levene
5th June
Cornwall Legends V British Legends
Penryn RFC Saturday 5th June 2010
On Saturday June 5th, some of rugby's best-known names put on an exhibition game at Penryn Rugby Club to support Max.
A Classic Cornwall XV team, featuring many of the 1991 and 1999 County Championship-winning sides, took on a British Legends XV, led by former England player Graham Dawe. The school 1st XV captain Freddie Gleadowe, a close friend of Max, was invited by the British Legends to play for them.
Director of Sport Graham Whitmore, who knows many of the players and is a former England Under-18 coach, said: "It was a good-spirited game of rugby, and there was a great atmosphere. Most importantly, the rugby fraternity really pulled together on Saturday to give their support to Max as he recovers from his catastrophic accident and builds his new life.
We just want to support Max on his road to recovery after his accident and any fundraising we can do will hopefully make his life more comfortable in the future."
With the generosity of the major sponsors Alan Mitchell & Son, Riders Land Rover, Vion Food Group and Allmyplans.com and the support of all on the day, the event proved to be a superb success with some £14,000 raised for the Max Levene Trust.
A number of former International and Premiership players were on show, including Graham Dawe, John Mallett, Andy Reed, Kevin Dunn, Paul Jones, Derek Eves, Alan Buzza and Matt Allen alongside legendary Cornish players Chris Alcock, Grant Champion, Jimmy Tucker, Tony Cook and Kevin Thomas.
Both teams entered into the spirit of the occasion and the crowd of about 1000 were treated to high quality rugby in the sunshine.
The final scoreline of 79-22 to the British Legends seemed almost irrelevant as both sides were intent on entertaining the crowd as they ran the ball from all areas of the field.
Those particularly impressing were British Legends open-side Derek Eves and wing Andy Matchett, who scored a hat-trick of tries. For the Cornwall side Ricky Pellow showed real class alongside current county players Mark Richards and Craig Bonds.
Renowned International referee Chris White thoroughly enjoyed the day and donated a Six Nations Referee shirt for auction.
Penryn RFC hosted the event superbly well.
(Please note: Photos courtesy of Simon Bryant)
Teams
Cornwall Legends
Chris Alcock; Neil Douch; Barry Lucas; Brian Andrew; John Thomas; Tony Cook; Steve Berryman; Alan Milliner; Glynn Williams; Martin Addinall; Mark Murley; Jason Atkinson; Roland Nancekivell; Ricky Pellow; Stuart Whitworth; Kevin Thomas; Dave Sibson; Ian Veal; Grant Champion; Jimmy Tucker; Nick Edyvean; Mark Richards; Ian Morgan; Craig Bonds; Dave Risdon; Adrian Rutter; Steve Rush; Kevin Hughes; Andy Hawken; Chris Morgan; Robert Mankee
British Legends
- John Mallett (Bath & England)
- Graham Dawe (Bath & England) (capt)
- Paul Jones (Neath & Wales)
- Andy Reed (Bath, Wasps, Scotland, British Lions)
- Jon Phillips (Northampton)
- Richard Francis (Neath & Swansea)
- Derek Eves (Bristol, England A & Barbarians)
- Ben Wade (Rotherham)
- Paul Hancock (Marauders)
- Matt Allen (Northampton & England)
- Andy Matchett (Plymouth Albion)
- Shane McIntosh (Swansea & New Zealand Maori)
- Martin Roberts (Gloucester
- Freddie Gleadowe (Truro School & Penryn)
- Alan Buzza (Wasps & England)
Replacements
Kevin Dunn (Gloucester, Wasps & England)
Chris Johnson (Northampton & Rotherham)
John Dudley (Rotherham)
Warren Milne (Marauders)
Alan Evans (Gloucester)
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12th May 2010
During the Cornish Pirates vs Bristol rugby match on the 8th May a collection was held at half-time and on the exit gates which raised the sum of £1,074 in support of the Max Levene Trust.
Max broke his neck in an unfortunate accident when playing for Truro School last October, and the result of the injury means that Max is now paralysed below the chest and has limited movement in his arms. He has shown
remarkable fortitude and depth of character since his accident but will need considerable help and support as herecovers and builds a new life.
Graham Whitmore, Director of Sport at Truro School said;
“All at school have been humbled by Max’s positive attitude and the way he is learning to develop new skills at this difficult time in his life, and we are delighted with the manner in which the local, school and rugby communities are pulling together to help support Max, including the Cornish Pirates.”
26th April 2010
Since we last wrote the health issues that had been plaguing Max’s rehab have abated and Max has moved on a long way. He has had the chance to do some continuous Occupational Therapy and Gym work, is stronger, fitter and far more able. His lack of fingers and triceps continue to be a source of frustration and it is likely that he will need the assistance of ‘electric hubs’ in his wheelchair to provide some additional impetus for outside, rough surface, movement, but this is a minor issue when we consider how he was before Christmas. We still have a planned discharge date of 18 May, but this may slip slightly as the time approaches.
March saw the fulfilment of a target for Max, namely to join the rest of the boarders at the Derren Brown illusionist show in Bristol. This involved a great deal of planning and preparation, but a great evening was had by all. An interesting slant on the evening came when Derren attempted the mass hypnosis of the audience using white noise and informing us that we may feel ‘drawn upwards onto our feet’ ..mmmmm….an interesting trick in the case of Max, who, nervous about the whole thing ended up with Eddie’s fingers stuck into his ears to block out the noise with Eddie half standing in a trance! Welcome to the black humour of spinal injuries!
Over the past couple of weeks Max has really started to get out and about. We went to see ‘The Mighty Gills’ (Gillingham FC) beat Leeds Utd 3-2, a great morale booster for Max. He also competed for 3 days at the Stoke Mandeville Inter-Spinal Unit Games last week (there are 12 units throughout the UK and were 120 or so competitors), and had the opportunity to swim, play table tennis, shoot and try many other sports (tennis, badminton, fencing etc..). It would be fantastic for Max if he could find a sport at which he can excel and into which he could put some energy. At the Games the small Odstock team came second overall to Stoke Mandeville, which was surprising given the casual attitude of the team compared to the other units. Odstock arrived in Barbie pink t-shirts with wigs and a vague Alice in Wonderland theme (retitled ‘Alice in Odstock’). Max was grabbed by one of the nurses and given a purple Mohican for the occasion, which he is currently still sporting, to the chagrin of relatives! Much to Max’s amazement he won the ‘Attitude and Endeavour’ award, a massive shield; typically for Max he attributes the award more to his distinctive hair than anything he did over the 3 days.
Max has been delighted to have had regular visits from pupils, parents and teachers. Often we have been surprised by a phone call, e mail or text saying someone is in the area, followed by a surprise visit. The arrival one morning of Mr Whitmore and Mr Davies en-route to the England vs Wales game at Twickenham gave us a giggle as we could imagine the scene in the car on the way home, with one or the other being given a right ribbing (thankfully Davies bore the brunt this year!).
Max was also delighted with his ‘Support the Man’ rugby shirt, and the success of the Spring Ball, which was quite fabulous. I could not believe how the Sport’s Hall had been utterly transformed with drapes and daffodils. The food was delicious, the music excellent and the generosity of companies, organizations and individuals in the donations of prizes, food, time and skills was truly overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who contributed and to all who attended. Max is determined not to miss out on the next event. Additionally, the Cornish and the Rugby communities have been superb throughout, with events like the St Agnes/Perranporth rugby club day really helping to boost morale and to maintain a sense of drive in Max. A visit from four Bath RFC players, David Barnes, Luke Watson, Olly Barclay and Lee Mears was a massive morale booster. A big thanks go from all of us to everyone who has helped along the way so far.
For the future, Max still plans to go back to Truro School in Sep to complete A levels. It will not be easy for him but we are all determined to resume as near a normal life as possible and we are convinced that, with continued assistance from the many people who care for him, we shall achieve that end. As a final point, Max has asked us to pass on his best wishes and to say good luck to all the pupils at Truro sitting exams over the next couple of months. Never has a 17 year old so wished to be there!
Yvonne & Guy
18th March 2010
For the past month Max has had a clear run at physio, occupational therapy and life in general. His dexterity has improved beyond recognition as, although his fingers still have no movement, he is now able to use his available wrist and forearm movement to grip much smaller objects (even gummy bears now have no escape). He now feeds himself, revelling in the ability to choose each mouthful rather than have someone else select the foods! Physio is also progressing really well. Some visitors had expressed surprise that Max is now completely independent in his chair, wheeling himself around confidently and certainly not requiring an electric wheelchair, at least not for around the hospital, though he may require some power assistance in the outside world. We realised that, whilst our original fears had been assuaged, we had not informed some of our friends and they were nervously expecting a far worse situation. In reality, as the boarders who accompanied him to the Derren Brown show in Bristol earlier this month will attest, Max remains cheerful, positive and entirely 'normal'. Anyone who visits will instantly see the same Max that he always has been. He is now getting out of the Hospital on regular occurrences, taking bus trips into Salisbury and having lunch with Yvonne and his visitors when his daily rehab programme permits.
In short, things are going well. Max is still a physical 'train crash' but he is very strong mentally and we are all now planning things for the future. Hopefully he can return to Truro School next Sept to complete some A levels and therefter we remain hopeful that he will go to University in order to make a delayed start to the independent life he was planning before Oct 10th last year. We shall see.
Guy, Levene
11th January 2010
Max is up in his chair for six hours+ each day and starting some more intensive physio and Occupational Therapy (OT). He is spending increasing periods of time in the gym, working on core stability tasks (to improve his strength, balance and upper body mobility), practicing balance tasks and building up his muscle mass after the wasting effects of being on his back for so long. At last he is doing things that interest him.
Without wishing to put the mockers on any progress, it does seem as though Max has finally weathered the worst of the storm and is starting to improve, although we remain conscious of how quickly things fell apart when Max had the infection before Christmas and ended up back in Intensive Care with severe resipratory difficulties. He is due to get into a lighter weight chair sometime soon, which will help with his independence, and he is also starting to attend education sessions which help him to fully understand the aspects of his injuries which he will have to manage over the years ahead. He has had a brutal haircut from one of the nurses, is getting faster and more capable with his lap top and is taking great support from having normal (on-line) conversations with his pals. Lack of finger movement is the most frustrating aspect for him but practice improves co-ordination and the OT staff are concentrating on improving dexterity for tasks such as using cutlery, learning to write simple words and gripping light objects. Playing games such as Connect4, Chess and cards all help him improve his grip and hand use (it’s a tough life in Odstock!)
If things go to plan (and nothing has to date) Max should be looking at getting out of Odstock in May and then spending a few months in Cornwall over the summer. We shall see.
Guy Levene
4th January 2010
We were all delighted to hear that Max celebrated Christmas by manually wheeling his chair across the ward and back on Christmas Day.
Mr Levene also contacted us to say that Max is “getting to grips” with Facebook on his new laptop and is starting on-line conversations with his pals. Father is concerned that Max might be distracting his friends from such “minor matter as A levels”!
Max is still frustrated by his struggles to fit simple blocks into holes but it has been a positive festive season generally and we are looking forward to even swifter progress in the New Year.
Mr Levene has asked that we utilise the website to thank all the pupils and parents who have visited or written letters and cards of encouragement. He said that “we feel saddened that we have not met the majority of pupils and parents before Max’s accident, and without exception, we can state that the pupils have been a credit to themselves and the School”. What a nice bunch of young adults we have at Truro School.
The fundraising programme is moving into gear and the response to the RFU Grand Draw has been most encouraging as has been the support for all the other events and activities planned.
We all continue to support the Levene family’s hopes and prayers that they look forward to Max’s condition improving further so he can start to attack life with his usual gusto in 2010.
P K Smith
Headmaster
14th December 2009
The good news is that Max is recovering from his latest set back and no longer requires sedation. He is off the ventilator and has left intensive care, returning to the spinal injuries unit. They have fitted him up with a nebuliser and oxygen supply which is used to help his breathing when needed. He is also back to eating small amounts of food, but the infection did knock him back and he needs to build up his strength. It also looks unlikely that he will need a tracheotomy, which was a big concern for his parents.
Mr & Mrs Levene are very grateful for all the messages of support they have received. They are particularly comforted by knowing that Max is in your thoughts and prayers.
4th December 2009
Max has had a setback. He has caught a hospital 'superbug' and his breathing deteriorated over the weekend. He is back in Intensive Care, this time in Salisbury General, and is heavily sedated and on a specialist ventilator as the standard machine was not getting enough oxygen into his lungs. He is stable but this is particularly hard to take when he seemed to be doing so well on arrival at Odstock. Naturally this puts back his rehab as he will have to start again from scratch.
We will keep you informed of any further news.
20th November 2009
Max has now moved to the specialist Spinal Injuries Unit at Odstock. The transfer was quite challenging for Max as he had to undergo a three-hour journey and the inevitable disruption to his normal routine.
However he is now well settled and pleased to be in an environment which can really focus on his needs. Max and his parents continue to show amazing resilience on this very demanding rollercoaster and are much encouraged by the support and help they are getting.
Max is very determined to fight his disabilities and his optimism has been boosted by supportive letters and emails from people who have suffered similar accidents. He was also very pleased to receive a signed Wasps rugby shirt from Simon Shaw but it is indicative of the Levene sense of humour that Max commented on the unwashed shirt saying that "he always liked the smell of 'Shaw for Men'."
Mr Levene concluded his recent email to us by saying that "on the whole we are all okay and Max is now in the right place to move forward. We are now hoping to achieve some sort of normality and routine as we are likely to be in or around Odstock for the next 6 to 9 months."
We have formed a fund-raising committee in school and are in the process of establishing a charity for Max. Letters have been sent to all parents to let them know what is planned and how they might contribute.
17th November 2009
Several school parties have been to visit Max during the past week or so and all have been pleased to see Max up and in his wheelchair and in excellent spirits.
A group from his boarding house visited him last night and wished Max well as he prepared to move to Odstock Hospital at Salisbury.
The school staff have established a fund raising committee to set up a programme to raise funds over the next year. Also the Headmaster is in discussion with Mr Levene and other advisors to establish a charity for Max.
The Rugby Football Union are providing Max with a lap-top computer and mobile phone to keep in touch with his friends and the Rugby community have been very supportive and have given much encouragement to Max and his family.
We will update this page as often as we can as Mr Levene has pledged to keep us informed of Max's progress.
6th November 2009
Understandably several parents and pupils have expressed concern for Max following his tragic rugby accident and we intend to keep this web page open to update you with information.
At present Max is recovering from the heavy sedation he has undergone and we do not yet know the prognosis for his future mobility. Several pupils have visited him and he is beginning to communicate but is understandably in shock and suffering from wide fluctuations in morale.
We have had several meetings in school with a representative from the Rugby Football Union, a local solicitor and Max’s father to consider setting up a charity for Max. We have been humbled by the amazing extent of responses offering support and will be formulating a strategy to focus fund-raising events.The pupils and staff will be engaged in this and we welcome any constructive ideas of support.
Max’s parents have also asked me to convey their deep gratitude for all the correspondence and thoughts of support and prayers offered on Max’s behalf which have been a great strength to them at this challenging time.
There is a possibility that Max will be moved to Odstock Hospital in Salisbury next week but we will keep everyone informed on this and related matters.
Mr P K Smith
Headmaster
Letter to parents following recent accident - 13th October 2009
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