Shayne Dawson-Dymond was partially paralysed from the shoulder down after having ‘seizure-type’ spasms during the race
Shayne Dawson-Dymond, a 16 year old sports enthusiast, is determined to return to his beloved activities after a series of events left him partially paralysed within less than a year. Despite the drastic change from being an able-bodied horse rider and kayaker, Shayne remains hopeful about getting back to his sports.
Speaking to PA Real Life, he said: “I don’t think you can let something like this get in the way. You’ve got to take it as a bump in the road.
“Obviously, some bumps are going to be bigger than others but you’ve just got to keep pushing over the bumps to get to the smooth road… Going from being fully able-bodied to partially disabled definitely takes its toll. It’s definitely been hard to process, especially being 16.
“You’ve just got to keep fighting through the hard place to get to the good place. I can sit in my bedroom, cry about it, and lock myself away from the world, but it’s still going to be the same.”
Shayne was first diagnosed with a benign bone tumour at the top of his left knee when he was just six years old. The tumour was subsequently removed, but he continued to have scans every six to 12 months to ensure it didn’t reappear.
During one of these scans in April 2024, a shadow was detected on his left shin bone. A few months later, the shadow had started to grow and in November 2024, Shayne’s biopsy revealed it was another benign lesion – but the procedure resulted in some complications.
Shayne’s mum, Claire Dawson, 45, recalled: “The wound was oozing a lot, he was able to walk on his leg but it was painful. He was crying in agony, the pain was excruciating. His foot was swelling and he started to say his leg was going numb.”
He received treatment at A&E for compartment syndrome, which cuts off blood supply, and underwent two procedures to ease the pressure, but sensation never came back to his leg. In December, medics confirmed he would “never regain the use of that leg”.
But Shayne refused to let this dampen his spirits, as Claire revealed: “He got around though and was living life very well, he hopped about on his other leg. It was a massive change of lifestyle, but it wasn’t the end of the world.”
He was even able to get back to his sports and, having previously competed nationally in kayaking, decided to take on a race in July this year. But Shayne was only able to manage about a mile before his side began hurting and he struggled to breathe properly.
What came next was a two-and-a-half hour ordeal of “seizure-type” convulsions that affected his entire side as he was rushed to hospital. Claire said: “He had three massive spasms in hospital, his whole body sort of shook him up and then he just went floppy.
“He’s been floppy ever since. We think he had a small sports injury, and his nervous system just shut down. It couldn’t cope with anything else, it just went into safe mode, it literally switched the off button.”
While it’s yet to be confirmed, it’s believed that Shayne is suffering from functional neurological disorder, a condition that disrupts the brain’s ability to send and receive information to the body, according to NHS guidelines. Since the race, he has been partially paralysed from the shoulder down, but recently, he began regaining movement in his head.
Claire revealed: “He can use his arms and his right leg, but he has no use of his trunk or left side. It’s hoped the movement will come back from the waist up, but we can’t say how much or when. It could come back tomorrow, it could come back in 18 months.”
Unable to kayak or ride his horse, Shayne is maintaining his strength by working with physiotherapists and the GB Junior Team for Paracanoeing. He said: “I want to get back in my boat, back on my horse and get back to competing. I also want to raise awareness for others going through similar things.”
Both Claire and Shayne acknowledge that he’ll never walk unaided again, but the mum simply wants her son to have the “best quality of life he can possibly have”. She has set up a GoFundMe page to buy a “better” wheelchair with an electric bike attachment to give him more independence. She estimates they will need to raise around £6,000 in total for the equipment, having already raised more than £3,500 so far.
Claire urged: “Don’t take anything for granted and keep fighting. When something like this happens, you have to keep fighting for your child.”