Extreme paraplegic refuses to let wheelchair hold him back

Fearless Barry West believes the sky’s the limit – even if you are confined to a wheelchair. Barry, 35, who lost the use of his arms and legs in a car crash, refuses to let his disabilities hold him back as he has taken up paragliding, skydiving, ­mountaineering, kayaking and skiing. He has even become a qualified scuba diving instructor and has set his sights on scaling Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, next year. Barry said: “It was tough at the ­beginning, I can’t pretend it wasn’t.


Photo from SWNS.

“But whether you have a disability or not, we all need a boot up the a*** sometimes to get out there and do stuff. That’s what I hope I’m showing others.” Barry, was a keen rugby player and boxer when his life altered forever in 1996 when he crashed his van into a tree and broke his neck in two places. He was confined to a wheelchair and struggled to adapt as he endured years of an often painful recovery. But his life changed again at the age of 30 after a chat with a paralysed friend.


Photo from SWNS.

“He told me that he had just done a skydive,” said Barry. “I was gobsmacked.” He was inspired to follow in his friend’s footsteps and in 2008 spinal injury charity Back Up arranged for him to do his first ­parachute jump. It got Barry hooked on adrenaline-fuelled sports and his achievements since put able-bodied people to shame. He has been sky-diving from 12,000ft in Oxford, gone skiing three times in Sweden and reached the top of Mount Snowdon four times with friends pulling his wheelchair.


YouTube link.

In 2009, with the help of charity the Scuba Trust, he became a qualified diver and spent a week diving in the Red Sea with the help of pals who never leave his side. When he’s not off on yet another adventure, Barry relaxes at home in Uckfield, East Sussex, by painting, holding the brush in his mouth. But he is not satisfied with his achievements. He wants to ride a horse. Barry said: “I don’t mean just sitting on it, but riding it properly around a paddock without anyone holding the reins.”

With more photos.