A North East solicitor who is recognised nationally for his expertise in the field of serious injury, has used a significant date to share his personal experience.
Mick Laffey is Legal Director in the serious injuries department at Newcastle law firm, Burnetts, specialising in cases where people have suffered catastrophic injuries.
And the respected lawyer has chosen the recent (13 May) Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day to share his personal experience of a rare spinal condition which has confined him to a wheelchair since his teenage years.
Mick, 53, was hit out of nowhere while heading to a football match in London in 1989 with excruciating pain in his legs, leaving doctors bemused about what had so devastatingly affected a seemingly healthy teenager.
He was eventually diagnosed with AVM – Arteriovenous Malformation – where a web or rogue blood vessels inside his spinal cord burst and bled without any warning, an experience he describes as “like being dipped into a vat of boiling oil up to my belly button.”
Mick has charted his experiences in a series of funny and touching blogs on the Burnetts website, which also highlight his understanding of some of the challenges the clients he represents are facing.
It is that knowledge that has helped build his reputation over the years, fighting for clients who have suffered brain, spinal or amputation injuries.
“I thought sharing my personal experience might be of help to anyone just starting to manage their own life with a spinal injury,” said Mick.
“I was a healthy teenager one day heading to a football match and the next I was in hospital being prodded and poked by people who had no idea what was the matter with me.”
Getting the devastating diagnosis has not stopped Mick continuing with his life and his ambitions.
Not only is he widely respected for his legal expertise but he has appeared in a multi-award winning movie, I Daniel Blake, and is also a regular face on numerous television quiz shows.
“When you have had it all and have “it all” taken away from you, it’s really hard to adjust physically and mentally,” said Mick.
“My view is that you have no option – you either go out and live your life or you don’t.”
Mick’s eight part blog is available to read on the Burnetts’ website at www.burnetts.co.uk
Along with its office in Newcastle and Hexham, Burnetts has offices in both Carlisle and Cockermouth.
The company operates across a whole host of sectors including both business and personal.