Noah Rees: Newman College boy 'determined to improve'

Noah Rees was 18 when lost his balance leaning on a promenade railing on Brighton seafront, falling backwards and crashing ten metres to the ground below.

Noah, who had dreams of becoming a professional rugby player, lost consciousness and fell into a coma.

He punctured his lungs, suffered mini-strokes and broke his back and skull, causing serious brain damage.

Noah Rees fell in 2019

Now two years after the accident, the 20-year-old is 'in good spirits' and able to walk a short distance with the assistance of some walking poles.

Speaking to The Argus, his father David Rees from Peacehaven said Noah has the "will to the best he possibly can".

He said: "He is in good spirits and determined to keep improving. Every day he is.

"His biggest problem is something called apraxia, which basically means he is having to trach all of his muscles in his body the sequence they need to refire it.

"It is relearning all of those bits again that is a very slow process. It is teaching the brain all of those movements again.

READ MORE >> Noah Rees who fell off Brighton seafront wall faces life changing injuries

"It is a very long term process but because of his rugby training, he understands there is a process you need to go through.

"You carry on doing the right thing and you will see the results. "

Noah won the “nicest person award” at school and led Newman College Rugby team to victory in the national college’s championships.

Since his accident in 2019, a friend of the family entered him into a competition with cycling brand Peloton.

He won, and Noah was given a state of the art Peloton bike which he uses most days at home, to help his brain relearn muscle movements.

He was captain of the rugby team

More than £20,000 was raised in 20 days for his rehabilitation at the time of the fall which has been used to fund his recovery.

To help with his development, Noah has now taken over the @come_on_noah Instagram page from his Dad, where shares his progress.

Mr Rees said: "He has taken over the @come_on_noah Instagram page where he posts snippets of from his sessions he does and from there you can get a good view of his day to day life.

"It is a really good part of his development going forward."

Newman Netball Academy is continuing to play its part in Noah's journey by selling beanies and socks to fundraise his treatment.

To support the fundraiser, visit newman_netball_academy on Instagram. Beanies are £15 and socks are £11.