Blog
Ian's Story
Leeds-based veteran Ian Westmoreland sustained a spinal cord injury six years after leaving the army. Ian explains how his life has changed since the accident that left him paralysed from the waist down and facing a new future.
I did a full career in the army of 22 years. Straight after the Army I became a teacher specialising in special education needs. On 8 December 2023 I was cycling home from work and an 18-year-old ran into the back of me and broke my back. I went to Leeds General Infirmary for a month, then transferred to the Yorkshire Spinal Injuries Centre in Pinderfields.
The transition from the forces to civilian life was difficult, but I was able to do that quite effectively. My wife was really supportive and I prepared for years before I left the army. I had a very good vision of what I wanted to achieve going into education, so it wasn’t as difficult for me as some people find it.
However, the transition from being able-bodied to disabled has been far, far harder. It’s even more life-changing in a different way. There’s no time to prepare for it. I have really struggled mentally, physically, with coming to terms with my disability, the limitations it places on me and my family.
It’s taken an awful lot of support from people around me – my family, case worker, physiotherapist, psychologist, solicitors, to help me get through the most difficult 18 months of my life.
SIA have played a fundamental part of this journey. Right at the start my wife Michelle found the SIA website, filled in the contact form, and the next day Andy (support network manager) got in touch. He came to hospital to see us, gave advice, he was amazing. If we didn’t have that advice from SIA I wouldn’t have been able to come to terms with the changes to my life.
My armed forces background has given me discipline and the mindset of being goal-focused. It’s an understanding that life is transient and there is always hope, even if that hope is small.
I’m very good at building routine, which is very much part of my army heritage, therefore it’s helped me an awful lot with my weekly rehab regime. Without it I may have been less able to navigate having a spinal cord injury.
In the spinal unit there was a sense of camaraderie, not dissimilar to being in the military. You’re all in this together and you can support each other. It is nice to be around people that are suffering similar things to you, and looking back, it’s something that was really helpful in my recovery. Once I have my own form of transport I’d be really happy to go to SIA’s community groups.
I want to get my life back on track and I want to start work again. My old job wasn’t accessible or safe, and until I’ve got more stability in my mental and physical health I can’t look to regain some form of employment. I will reach out to SIA for help when it comes to that and I know it will also help my employer to get advice.
If friends and family ask us how they can help, we ask them to raise money for SIA, to pay them back for the help and support they’ve given.
Earlier this year Ian took part in the inaugural Accessible Adventure challenge for SIA (pictured above) that involved a 90ft abseil from the Millers Dale viaduct in the Peak District, and a 1 mile paddle along the Chesterfield canal.
“Whether it be going out on my bike, swimming, pushing myself around in a chair, I’ve always been a very physical kind of being. It’s how I used to define myself before the accident and I still do and when I saw this challenge I thought ‘why not!’. This was the first time doing anything where I will be able to challenge the limitations of my disability and I was really looking forward to this new experience.”
Inspired to take on fundraising challenge of your own for SIA? … check out what we have available:
More information
- Armed Forces Covenant
In November 2025 SIA signed Armed Forces Covenant – a promise to acknowledge and understand that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, including the bereaved, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy, and society they serve with their lives.
