A MAN left in a coma after a motorbike crash three years ago has repaid staff at the rehabilitation centre where he recovered by becoming a volunteer.

Kurt Foster, from Padiham, was unconscious for eight weeks when he suffered life-threatening head injuries and a punctured liver in an accident in Cliviger in October 2010.

Now the 21-year-old is lending a helping hand at Burnley General Hospital’s Rakehead Rehabilitation Centre where he was treated for eight months.

Mr Foster, who also broke a leg when he crashed into a tree in Bacup Road, spends two days a week at the unit working with patients going through similar experiences to his own.

He said: “I was in hospital for an extremely long time fighting some near life-changing injuries.

“I spent nearly eight months under the care of the staff at Rakehead Rehabilitation Centre and they were absolutely fantastic - whether it was the doctors, nurses, physiotherapists or cleaners - every member of staff made my stay comfortable and the support and confidence they instilled in me gave me the motivation to make a full recovery.

“I enjoy volunteering to give the patients moral support and also for them to see that there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel.

“I was told I wasn’t going to come out of a coma, I was also then told I wouldn’t walk and I could possibly have neurological problems.

“But thanks to the amazing care, innovative treatment and continual support of staff at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, and specifically Rakehead, I was able to progress and am now fully recovered.

“I really would encourage anyone who has free time to volunteer. You meet some great friends and can really make an impact in the lives of some incredible people.”

Linda Hulmes, ward sister at Rakehead, said: “Kurt’s story is an incredible one with a brilliant outcome. He is an amazing person and is very much valued as a Rakehead volunteer.

“He contributes much in his role and gives so much back to us all at Rakehead.”