The water leisure industry was shocked and distressed to learn of a devastating accident involving charismatic Hydropool Devon owner David Hayes. His friends in the Hydropool family and the wider UK water leisure sector have rallied to show their support for David and his wife Elly, who herself is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Described as ‘dynamic, determined and go-getting’ by business associates, both David and Elly have worked hard on their multi award-winning Devon-based hot tub retail and decking businesses. People have reacted by wanting to make a positive difference. A Go Fund Me campaign has already exceeded £41k of the initial £30k target with nearly 1,000 separate donations. Those funds will be boosted by a fundraising effort at the forthcoming UK Pool & Spa Awards – an event where the couple have often previously featured. The funds will go towards continuing David’s rehabilitation and the adaptation of the family home including investing in the latest wheelchair and other supportive technologies.
“I first met David and Ellie in 2012 at the Ideal Home Show. He was looking for a Hot Tub supplier to enhance his Riviera Decking business,” said Lloyd Burden, Vice President International Sales for Hydropool Inc. In 2013, the couple opened their first showroom just outside Newton Abbott, Devon “David’s energy for life makes him super dynamic in everything he does, as well as building a super successful business, he has renovated three large houses since I have known him.” It was in mid-July that David sustained a life-changing spinal cord injury whilst on holiday in Ibiza with his wife Elly and their two children. Whilst diving in the sea with the children, David broke the C5 vertebrae in his neck, damaging the C4-C6 section of his spinal cord.
David has been diagnosed as a quadriplegic meaning he is permanently paralysed from the chest down and has no use of his limbs. Due to the immediate paralysis after the neck break, David was unable to swim to the surface and ingested significant amounts of salt water. This later developed into pneumonia and a collapsed lung and David needed help with breathing. After nearly three weeks in an induced coma at a Spanish hospital, David was transferred to an ICU in the UK. Now in the care of a specialist rehabilitation centre in Salisbury, David has been able tolerate transfers to a wheelchair for up to an hour at a time. Although the prognosis is challenging, David, his friends and his family have been buoyed that small miracles can happen such as encouraging signs of small movement in his left hand.
