East Lothian teen steps up recovery after horror skiing accident

The mum of a teenager who ended up in a coma after suffering a horror injury in a skiing accident has spoken of her relief at seeing his condition improving each day.

Nicholas is settling in well in the Charles Bell Pavillion, Astley Ainsley Hospital . He is following a programme of physio, speech and occupational therapies. Progress is made each day. Pic: Family's GoFundMe page.

Nicholas Guest was knocked unconscious after banging his head on the ground while landing a jump in the Swiss resort of Saas-Fee, near the Italian border. He was airlifted to hospital where it was established he had suffered a bleed to the brain and consequently fell into a deep coma.

The Tranent lad underwent surgery at a bigger hospital in the Swiss town of Sion and woke up after almost four days surrounded by his close family who flew out fearing the worse for the teenager.

The Preston Lodge High School pupil was flown back to the Capital where he was receiving treatment at the Western General Hospital.

He has now been transferred to the Astley Ainslie Hospital, where mum Marian has said Nicholas, 17, is making steady progress each day through a programme of physio, speech and occupational therapies.

She said: “He has managed to dress himself in the morning and tie his shoe laces. Sometimes it can take him ten minutes to do but he is really proud of that achievement. It might not sound very big but it is a very significant step in his recovery. It has been a very emotional time. We didn’t know at first if Nicholas was ever going to wake up.

“It was quite traumatic as he was on life support. When he came around he couldn’t speak properly or use his body properly. It’s still uncertain just how he will recover but he has come on leaps and bounds in the past couple of weeks. He is improving every day.”

The Preston Lodge RFC under-18s second row was thankfully wearing a safety helmet at the time of the accident, on January 15, which cracked on impact and undoubtedly saved his life.

A GoFundMe page was set up by sister Lizzy’s fiancé, Daniel Hunter, to help cover the costs of the family rushing to Nicholas’ bedside.

The page has topped £4,400 online while a number of community fundraising events have also boosted the total, leaving the family stunned.

Julia Robertson, deputy headteacher at Preston Lodge High School, said: “Obviously we were shocked and concerned for Nicholas when we found out what had happened.

“At Preston Lodge the community is very much at the heart of what we do and a coffee morning raised £340.

“He is a lovely lad who is very mature and conscientious. We wish Nicholas all the best in his recovery and we hope to welcome him back to school when he is ready.”

Marian has been impressed with how her son has responded to treatment but accepts there’s a long road to recovery yet.

The 52-year-old added: “Nicholas is a very determined goal-getter and just wants to do his best to get better as soon as possible.

“I’m astounded by the level of support we’ve received. It has enabled me to see Nicholas every day during his recovery which has been great for me but for him especially.

“Doctors haven’t put a time frame on his recovery but we’re all hopeful Nicholas can make a full recovery.”

Donate at gofundme.com/support-for-nicolas