Four years after an accident left him paralysed a Barnham man defies the odds to attend his brother’s wedding

Marcus Wodehouse, 64, was left in need of full-time domiciliary care and extensive physiotherapy treatment.

But now he has defied the odds to attend his first social outing.

Marcus proudly attended his brother James Warner’s wedding day at the Oxo Tower in London, marking a family affair that no one thought would be possible 12 months ago.

As a former managing director of a multinational logistics firm for over 30 years, Marcus is well versed in, as he put it, ‘finding simple solutions to complex situations’ – with his brother’s wedding being no exception.

Despite his diagnosis of C2 tetraplegia, a very rare spinal injury, Marcus, his loving wife Deborah, and his specialist care team set about studying the very minutiae of the task ahead.

The trip was facilitated by CHD Care at Home, the domiciliary care branch of award-winning care provider, CHD Living.

Its multidisciplinary team worked closely with Marc’s wife Deborah, a retired community nurse with 39 years’ experience, his case manager Ruvini Silva, the Guardian Angels (his night care team), his consultant Dr Phillip McCluskie, and his occupational therapist, Kim Emery.

The team worked tirelessly to make the day run seamlessly so that Marcus could finally witness his brother tying the knot – precisely orchestrating every step of his journey from his home with the utmost consideration of his medical needs.

This included a full refurnishing of his hotel room, at the Sea Containers hotel adjacent to the wedding venue, to make space for specialist medical equipment such as a bariatric bed and mattress.

It was vital that Marcus stayed within a short distance of a major hospital and with Guy’s hospital nearby, this offered an additional safety net in case of any emergency.

So upon hearing his remarkable story, the hotel staff were determined to accommodate him.

External factors such as adverse weather conditions can have a significant impact on Marcus after he lost the ability to regulate his own body temperature following the accident.

Given that the wedding took place during one of the most significant weather storms the UK has experienced in the last 20 years, this cast a sense of doubt around whether he would still be able to make it on the day.

However, Marcus and his highly skilled care team were undeterred by the severe weather conditions and against all odds, Marcus managed to sit proudly alongside his brother and family for what he described as ‘a beautiful service and wonderful day’.

“Being able to attend my brother’s wedding is a moment I will never forget,” he said.

“I must be honest, despite my long career in logistics, I can honestly say that given the complexity of my condition, this is one of the biggest challenges I have faced.

“However, thanks to my wife and the amazing care team around me, I was able to become lost in the joy of the day, without having to worry about anything.

“I was fully anticipating some unexpected hiccups along the way but I can confidently say, there were none.

“This trip was months in the planning and to see the smile on my brother’s face when he finally tied the knot, is a moment I will cherish forever.

“Throwing on my glad rags for the first time in a long time made me feel human again.

“The venue was amazing and offered breathtaking views of the Thames river, although, thanks to the storm, we were treated to multiple pieces of astroturf flying past the window and landing in the river.

“What my team from CHD managed to achieve by taking my level of complex care outside of its usual environment is simply remarkable and without them, none of this would have been possible.”

Delighted that his brother could attend his wedding, James said: “We are incredibly grateful to CHD and Marc’s whole care team for facilitating his trip to our wedding in London.

“Angela and I have been together for years, but Marc’s accident made us realise how fragile life is and how lucky we are to have each other, and we wanted to celebrate that with friends and family.

“So it meant a huge amount to us that Marc could be there, and also speak at the ceremony and be part of the reception.

“It was a really wonderful day and we’re so glad that Marc shared it with us.

“We want to say a big thank you to everyone who made that possible.”

To ensure his attendance at the wedding, CHD’s carers and the other teams involved in Marcus’ care spent months refining their approach to focus on the smallest of details ahead of the day — including hiring a specialist van two weeks prior to the event in order to build his tolerance to this form of transport.

The achievement, though, was largely down to Marcus’ relentless pursuit to regain as much movement as possible through a solid programme of rehab – which he puts down to discipline gained from his service in the Royal Navy.

Marcus added: “The accomplishment has only spurred me and the team at CHD Care at Home on further, with new rehabilitation goals of trips to the cinema and theatre, more overnight trips away, and even a holiday in the future. It is a testament to the quality of care I have received and something I never thought would be possible after my accident.”

Shaleeza Hasham, head of hospitality, communications and commissioning at CHD Living, said: “What our domiciliary care team has achieved with Marcus is something we are immensely proud of at CHD.

“Not only did he get to attend his brother’s wedding — our care team demonstrated that with the right approach and a healthy dose of determination, even those with the most complex of needs can still achieve amazing things.

“Seeing the smile on Marcus’ face justified every ounce of preparation and is exactly why we do what we do.”

For more information on CHD Care at Home, please visit: https://www.chdliving.co.uk/care-types/care-at-home/.

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