Charity bike ride for Chatham boy Jack Dolan who suffered brain damage after Margate pier flip
12:49, 06 September 2024
updated: 13:16, 06 September 2024
A teenager is set to embark on a 42-mile bike ride to raise money for a boy who was left brain-damaged after jumping from a pier in Kent.
Jack Dolan, from Chatham, was knocked unconscious after performing a flip off Stone Pier in Margate in June.
The 15-year-old was airlifted to a London hospital where doctors later told his mum Lisa and step-dad David he was brain dead.
He was put on end-of-life care after having his life support taken away and the plan had been for him to be moved into a hospice.
But doctors said his body was stronger than they thought and such treatment would not be suitable.
Jack’s mum, an NHS worker, is giving up her job to care for him full-time.
A JustGiving page - originally set up to help fund his funeral - has now raised more than £40,000 for home adaptations and treatment costs.
Jack’s family previously told of the heartbreak of watching him "fade away” but against the odds, at the end of July Jack started to move his arms, feet and face and utter words.
David said at the time: “He is lifting his head like a newborn baby does when they first learn head control.
“The only thing holding us up at the moment is getting a wheelchair for him. Then, we can start hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
“Lisa is trying him on medication and food but he can’t go anywhere until he has the wheelchair.”
The first round of oxygen therapy has been offered to Jack for free, however the next course will cost £8,000.
He will also require private physiotherapy, the costs of which are currently unknown.
The Howard School in Rainham, which Jack attended, said life would “never be the same” after the “very popular student” was injured.
Croyde Lee, who attends the same school, has decided to organise a charity event to show some support and raise money.
The 13-year-old will be riding his bike 42 miles from The Howard School in Derwent Way to Margate on October 5.
He has set a target of £1,000 and donations can be made here.
More than £500 has already been raised.
Croyde said: “When I heard what had happened to Jack and realised he was a local boy from my school I felt like I wanted to help as his accident was life changing.
“I thought of doing a charity bike ride as I love my bike and knew Jack did too, and as the accident happened in Margate I thought Rainham to Margate fitted well.
“I just want to raise as much as possible to help.”
His mum Jemma says “any support would be greatly appreciated”.
A charity boxing match called Hit Back for Jack is also being organised for October in a separate fundraiser.
Since the accident, Jack has suffered from heart issues and seizures along with a chest infection and a collapsed lung.
However, while his family expected the chest infection to claim the 15-year-old’s life, he was able to fight it off with no medical intervention – even re-inflating his lung by himself.
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