Daughter's pride for Hastings dad told he would never walk again after accident
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Mark Whitelaw was just 24 when he was hurt working at the Gypsum mines at Mountfield. The cable of his light caught on a bucket and the conveyor belt dragged him along the ropeway, crushing him against a ramp.
He was taken to hospital in Hastings for treatment for a fractured pelvis, damaged nerves and paralysis of the legs.
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Hide AdTold that he would never walk again, he amazed doctors by making a full recovery and continuing to raise thousands for charity by running marathons.
Now, 34 years later, his daughter Roxanne Bennett has paid tribute to her father. She was inspired to after finding out an old cutting which detailed the accident and included a picture of her aged two with her father.
She said: “I’m extremely proud of Dad, he’s a go-getter. He’s also very stubborn as when the doctors told him he would never walk again he refused to believe it and proved them wrong.
“He was involved in an accident in the British Gypsum Mines when I was two years old and became confined to a wheel chair, and was told by the doctors that he would never walk again.
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Hide Ad“Defying the odds, he started to train and completed the Hastings Half Marathon in his wheelchair raising money for Cancer Research.
“He does a lot of charity still and is always raising money for several charities. He runs a 5k parkrun every Saturday whether it be in Hastings, Basingstoke where we moved in 1998, or Belfast.
“Dad had a five mile run in Hastings on Sunday (May 15) which he did with my 16-year-old son Maz.
“Re-reading my Dad’s story in the Observer made me more proud of him than ever before. He is an amazing Dad and Grandad to seven grandkids, and is always very supportive and loving of his family. He’s constantly on the go, a big kid who makes us all laugh.
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Hide Ad“He refuses to be told that he ‘can’t do’ and his motivation is admirable. Dad deserves credit and to be recognised for his achievements.”