Harry Davies, who suffered serious brain injury, set on music career

Harry Davies was just 11 when he was struck by a van as he cycled home from the village’s primary school.

He suffered a serious brain injury that left him in a coma for two weeks but, after defying the odds, he has recovered to lead an independent life.

READ MORE: Village party to welcome Harry Davies home from hospital

Now 21, Harry hopes that by sharing his journey, he can help end the stigma around brain injuries.

He said: “Life is already delicate, so there’s no point in wasting time being scared of the life you have when you could be enjoying it instead.”

Harry was cycling home on the B6363, near Boggs Holdings, when he was a struck by a delivery van.

When paramedics arrived, they found the schoolboy to be unresponsive – he was then raced to the Royal Hospital for Sick Kids in Edinburgh.

He underwent emergency surgery to tackle a bleed on the brain – surgeons also fitted a special bolt designed to relieve the pressure inside his skull.

It is thought that Harry’s bike helmet was the only reason he survived.

He was then placed in a coma and woke up two weeks later on Father’s Day.

Harry Davies and dad Nick have spoken about the impact of the incident which took place in June 2013. Image: Family

Harry’s dad, Nick, recalled the moment he first saw his son in hospital, saying: “It’s only in the past couple of years I’ve been table to talk about this without crying.

“When I first saw Harry, he was wired up to machines and monitors… it was just shocking.”

Harry, who now lives in Edinburgh and works as a barista, added: “I didn’t really understand the severity of everything until a few months after I woke from the coma when the specialists told me there was a real chance I could have died.

“The odds were something like a 75 per cent chance of dying – talking about that now feels weird when I think about how well my recovery has been.”

At the time, Harry’s physical recovery was described by rehab staff as “remarkable” but he noticed that during his teenage years he was treated differently.

School staff insisted a minder walk with him in corridors and he was not allowed to participate in sports or PE on the advice of medical staff.

However, this was not a major issue because Harry’s passion was always music.

He said: “I play guitar and drums and I’ve always loved that but it’s in music production where I hope to progress and something I’d very much like to get serious about.

“It provides a great creative outlet for me, a bit therapeutic as well, but it’s definitely more than a hobby and I’m already creating music and hope to build more projects there.”

Harry Davies is dreaming of becoming a musician - 10 years after he suffered a serious brain injury. Image: Digby Brown

Nowadays, Harry feels that his life is only impacted in two ways – he sometimes forgets what he needs when going to the supermarket and TV subtitles help him concentrate while watching a programme.

Harry explained: “My friends, school and people outside my family were very delicate with me for a long time during my teenage years.

“I had to tell them: ‘Look, I’m fine – you don’t need to hover around me like I’m made of glass.’

“Some people thought I was more outgoing as a child before the accident and then after I was more withdrawn – but it’s impossible to say if that was because of the crash or because it was normal teenage angst.”

Dad Nick added: “There were times we did wonder if the Harry we have now is the Harry he was always meant to be, even without the crash?

“The way Harry recovered has been incredible and we are under no illusion with the luck we have – he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, so when we think about how much that helped as well it should offer an important reminder.

“Even the crash – Harry was hit on a rural road yet received immediate help from an off-duty firefighter who happened to be passing and it turned out that firefighter just had head injury refresher training the week before.”

Harry and Nick are set to give an inspirational talk at the 2023 Digby Brown Head Injury Information Day in Edinburgh next week – an event that brings together the brain injury community to network, share ideas and access support.

Harry Davies was left with a scar on his head after the accident, which saw him in a coma for two weeks. Image: Family

Harry said: “I’m 6’5” with a scar on the side of my head so I inevitably get questions from people – so telling new people the story of my accident is the only time I feel like I stop being ‘Harry’ and I’m forced to be ‘Harry the brain injury victim’.

“But each survivor is unique and each has their own story, so it’s OK to ask survivors if they need help but ask them what THEY need, respect their answer and let them live their life.”