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10 June 2008 - Blackmore Heath Sponsorship
Insurance
brokers
Blackmore Heath announced that they will be sponsoring
Aaron for the fourth consecutive season with £500 towards his
training costs.
Blackmore Heath are an insurance brokers who specialise in
arranging insurance portfolios for businesses and quality
personal insurances such as household and motor for individuals,
and have been doing so for over 15 yrs. The cornerstone of the
business is professionalism and high quality of service. Further
information can be found on their website
www.bhl-insurance.co.uk

20 May 2008 - Frontier Ski Sponsorship
Frontier Ski will be sponsoring Aaron for the 5th year running. Many thanks to
Sandra Potter and the Frontier Ski team for their continued support. On
receiving the news that Aaron is back in full ski training Sandra
said - "I am delighted that the prognosis is good and wish him all
the best for summer training and into next winter - he is a brave
chap."

17 May 2008 - STGB GRANT
Aaron heard today that the
Skiers Trust of Great
Britain have given him a training grant and would like to say a
big thank you to the Trust for their support. The Skiers Trust of
Great Britain is the only charity for able bodied skiers.
Originally founded in 1966, the aims of the trust are to support
skiing to a broad spectrum of young people who are currently at
school or within the education system and also to assist research
into ski safety and the impact of skiing on the environment.
It has been quite hard raising funds for Aaron to complete his
rehabilitation. We hope that now Aaron is back to full training
others will follow the lead of the Skiers Trust and support Aaron.
15 May 2008 - Chalet Chovettaz sponsor
Aaron
A very big thank you to Chris and Fiona the
proprietors of Chalet Chovettaz who have for the third year running
helped Aaron out with a contribution to Aaron's living expenses in
the mountains.

10 May 2008 - British Team Selection
Great news for Aaron today he received an email from SnowSport GB
informing him of his selection to the British Alpine Ski Team for
the 2008/9 season.

20 November 2007 - First Time back on
Skis
Today 364 days after his horrific accident Aaron has skis on
again.
This was just a short visit to Xscape Milton Keynes to get some
video and feedback for the doctors at the Olympic Medical Institute.
With Mike Barker helping with feedback and video Aaron did about ten
runs in the indoor centre.
Following the accident and 3 subsequent operations Aaron still has
restricted dorsi-flexion of his ankle, the doctors and physios
wanted this tested whilst Aaron was skiing. It will be a while until
he is back on snow properly but it is encouraging to see him on see
again.
Aaron's surgeons are amazed at his progress as they thought that he
would be doing really well just to be walking properly right now.

11 September 2007- 3rd Operation
Today Aaron had his third operation since breaking his leg. This
time the screws that held the bones to the metal pin were removed
(the pin will stay for life); and also some work was done to
"release" some tendons that prevented Aaron from straightening his
toes properly.
Now the physios can get to work to increase the movement in
Aaron's toes which will help with his balance and general rehab.
10 July 2007 - Anonymous Donation
Today Aaron had some great news and a real financial boost. An
anonymous donation was made to Aaron's fund with the Skiers Trust of
Great Britain.
A very big thank you to whoever made the donation.
4 July 2007 - Rehabilitation Starts for
Real
Another day another doctor!!
Just had a really positive day at the Olympic Medical Institute
where I saw my old friend Dr Anita Biswas a top Sports Physician.
Anita looked after me at Crystal Palace when I had knee and back
problems.
It appears that my leg is doing really well but needs some intensive
rehab and physio to correct some of the imbalances that have
developed over the last few months mostly due to me not having
feeling in my foot and some movement problems with my ankle and big
toe.
My first week of intensive rehab starts Monday 16th July - so I had
better prepare for more pain !!
The programme for me then is to be at the OMI for a week each month
until its closer to the time for me to ski and then it will be for a
longer period to ensure I am totally prepared to get back on skis.
As I am on the British Team the physios etc at the OMI are all paid
for via the Olympic passport scheme, I will still have to pay for
food and lodging at the Institute - all offers of help appreciated.

4 May 2007 - Selection News
Aaron got a real boost today when he received an email from
SnowSport GB with news of his selection to the 2007-8 British Junior
Alpine Ski Team.
As Aaron is currently on injury status his selection is conditional
on him returning to full fitness and skiing performance.
18 April 2007 - Latest Check Up
By Aarons Dad.
I went to London with Aaron on Monday and the news is good but not
that good. There is still a chunk of bone missing which may be that
way for ever now, in view of this Aaron was told that the metal rod
inside the bone may now have to stay there and is unlikely to be
removed as we were originally told in Austria. The screws should be
able to come out later this year as you can feel them quite easily
and it would be uncomfortable to leave them them in especially when
squeezing into hard and tight race boots. With all that said the doc
was really pleased and somewhat surprised with how much progress the
bone had made so there were some positives to be had here. Aaron is
still not allowed to run or jump (in fact not allowed to do any
impact work at all) this will be reviewed again at his next check up
in three months time. Quite a while to wait but with travel costs
added each visit is now working out to £362 we are glad the visits
to London are not more frequent.
A cautionary tale here - check the cover your insurance gives for
outpatient visits - our insurance was great for the emergency in
Austria and for in-patient work in the UK but only covered £1000 of
outpatient care including Physio. Now we are lucky that Aaron is
sponsored by his Physio but as you can see at £362 a visit to
London, a thousand pounds for outpatient care does not go very far.
With regard to the nerve graft - its growing slightly quicker than
normal but we just have to be patient - nerves take a long time to
grow. The Professor does not want Aaron back on skis until the nerve
has grown more and Aaron has learned to cope with whatever the
deficit of feeling that he is left with. Again we were told - we can
not rush these things. Quite hard to hear from Aaron's perspective
as all he wants to do is get his exams over with and get on skis.
The prospect of missing all the summer and autumn training and the
start of the season did not sit well with him.
We did ask about getting back on skis and were told in no uncertain
terms - "this was an horrendous accident" and that on first sight Mr
Haddad (the bone specialist) had thought to himself that it would
take at least 12 months (from the accident) for Aaron to be anywhere
near "normal". Aaron is healing quickly (although it doesn't seem
like it) so we keep our fingers crossed that Aaron will prove the
Doctors wrong and return sooner than expected.
On the fitness training some good, some not so good news. The
message was push ahead with all fitness work but with the caveat
of no impact work. . Just ordered some rollers for Aarons road
bike, he can pedal the miles indoors watching films on his laptop
and wont have to worry about the traffic or weather !! So its lots
of bike work, weights, core work, swimming and cross trainer,
flexibility - almost anything except running and jumping.
Jake - thank you for mentioning to Jai on
MySnowSports about the
Exogen machine, we asked the doctors about Aarons situation. The
doctors said it would help - but they did say there were not too
worried about the speed of things as we are waiting for the nerve to
grow anyway. Still we thought it would be good to do anything that
helps so we are trying to blag one like you did
19 February 2007 - Walking again
Aaron saw both specialists (bone and nerve) again today
with some more mixed news.
The fibula has now fused and is healing well, however where so much
bone was missing (shattered and then cleaned out) from the Tibia
there is still a gap to be bridged. After 5 weeks of being able to
walk with crutches and putting 50% pressure on the leg, Aaron has
now been allowed to put full weight on the broken leg. With a
substantial amount of bone still missing Aaron is not allowed to run
or jump (impact activities) but is allowed to be more active than
before - he is now looking forward to putting in the miles on his
bike, and other lovely activities that we are sure his physio will
line up for him. Aaron was hoping to be able to put his skis on and
have a slide towards the end of the season but his next check up is
not till after Meribel so it looks like no skiing now until the
summer at the earliest.
15 January 2007 - Good/Bad News
Another trip to London to see the Doc and Prof. After a thorough
examination and some more x-rays there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
Scars are healing well and the bone is starting to mend, although with so much
bone missing its going to be some time before this is completely sorted. Still
no feeling in the left foot - the Professor says we just have to wait - it
could be a long time before the nerve sorts itself out.
The good news is Aaron has now started physiotherapy and was able
to swim this weekend even though he could not tell what his left
foot was doing. The bad news from his perspective is that he has had
to go back to school and sit his mock GCSE's. Also Aaron can still
only put 50% weight on the broken leg as the bone still has a lot of
mending to do.
18 December 2006 - Back with Doctors
Back to see Mr Haddad and Professor Carlstedt for a post-op check up
at the Princess Grace Hospital in London. Both were really pleased with the way
Aaron was healing on the outside - just hope the same can be said for the
inside.
Aaron has been told that it will be another three weeks before he can
contemplate putting any weight on the broken leg - not because of the break but
because of the extent of the nerve damage and consequent surgery.
Next check up on 15th Jan when Aaron hopes they will give him the go ahead to
start putting some weight on his leg again.
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
12 December 2006 - Under the Surgeons
Knife
Yesterday Aaron underwent a 2 hr
operation to repair the severed nerve in the back of his leg which had been
causing so much pain and also to "tidy up" the bone fragments from the break.
With two of the country' top surgeons in attendance, one taking care of tidying
up the fracture and bone grafts the other taking care of the nerve damage Aaron
was in the best hands possible for his operation. Due to the extent of the
damage to the nerve in his leg, a nerve had to be taken from Aaron's arm
in order to graft a repair. This means some feeling will now be lost in Aaron's
left hand as a consequence.
The surgeons were happy with their work and allowed Aaron to return home today
where he now has to rest with his leg elevated for the next ten days after which
his condition will be reviewed.
8 December 2006 - Nerve Damage Requires
Surgery
Following extensive and painful investigations over the last two days nerve
specialists have decided to operate this coming Monday. Following his accident
Aaron has suffered a loss of feeling in the sole of his foot, this has now
been followed by five days of excruciating pain in his toes. His Orthopaedic
consultant feared the worse, and yesterday called in a top nerve specialist to
check things out. Aaron now faces surgery on Monday to try and repair the
damage. Depending on what is found, this may involve nerve reconstruction using
a "good" nerve from Aaron's arm.
4 December 2006 - 3 Doctors in 3 Days
Aaron flew back into the country last Monday and he was taken to the
local A& E at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, they sent him home
On Thursday, Aaron went to Crystal Palace and saw an
English Institute of Sport Doctor who promptly referred Aaron to see
an Orthopaedic Specialist in London.
Although he said the Austrian doctors had done a really good job, he
said the break was nasty and needed a specialist to take care of
things.
Friday - attended fracture clinic at local NHS - scars healing well
and the staples removed - again doctor said the Austrians had done a
good job
Saturday - Dr Haddad at the Wellington in London. It was really good
to see a specialist. Aaron has a bit of a problem with his calf and
Achilles which is going to be monitored over the next couple of
weeks together with some possible nerve damage as Aaron currently
has no feeling in the bottom of his foot.
Physio has been ruled out at present due to the pain and extent of
trauma that had been experienced. Aaron is currently resting as much
as possible - Oh and watching the cricket when he can't
sleep !!
Post Op Xray

6 November - Update
We have just heard that Aaron should be flying home on Monday. He was hoping to
be home on Saturday but the swelling around the injury had not reduced enough
and his repatriation was delayed, It is still not clear how long
he will be in hospital.
As Aarons leg is now held together with metal he is able to put
a little weight on the leg and can manage a few steps with the aid of crutches.
X - ray before
surgery -
21 November 2006 - Big Crash - Broken Leg
This morning Aaron had a big crash and was taken to hospital via helicopter. The
doctors are operating this afternoon to pin his tibia and fibula as he has
suffered an open fracture. The doctor said he would probably have to spend the
next week in hospital and would not be on skis "for some time".

12 September 2006 -
Frontier Ski Sponsorship
Frontier Ski will be sponsoring Aaron for the 3rd year running. They will be
helping with the costs of Aaron's training with the England Team. Many thanks to
Sandra Potter and the Frontier Ski team for their continuing support

04 September 2006 - PhysioActive Sponsor Aaron
Following a
high jump accident Aaron has suffered months of back problems, fortunately he is
finally on the mend thanks to the excellent work of the staff at PysioActive.
After getting to know Aaron and on hearing about the cost of competing in alpine
skiing, Clinical Director Chris Boynes kindly offered to help Aaron with the
offer of free treatment.

"PhysioActive
Ltd Sports & Spinal Practice is based in Mottingham, London SE9.
Originally established in 1986 by Chartered Physiotherapist Chris
Boynes, our expertise is in the treatment and rehabilitation of sports
injuries and all musculoskeletal conditions.
Our client base is varied, ranging from international athletes to
patients recovering from non-sports related post-operative conditions.
At all times we pride ourselves on excellent patient care.
Our practitioners include eight chartered physiotherapists, two sports
massage therapists, an acupuncturist, podiatrist, strength and
conditioning coach and Pilates instructor."
09 June 2006 -
British Youth Team
Aaron
received news today advising him of his selection to the British Youth ski Team
for the coming season.

03 June 2006 -
Aaron stays with Blizzard
Aaron has
chosen to ski on blizzard skis for a 6th season after a very
successful first F.I.S
season races this season Aaron was keen to stay with brand that he knows
and with suppliers that are always willing to help .
A big thank you
The
Ski Warehouse who sponsor Aaron, supplying blizzard skis, marker
bindings and a few other goodies to boot.
May 2006 - England Alpine Ski Team
Aaron was pleased to hear that he had
been selected to the England Alpine Ski Team coming season 2006/7.
Congratulations to everyone else that got selected also.

30 March 2006 - British Senior
Championships, Meribel
GIANT SLALOM
After the disappointment of
not finishing in the downhill earlier in the week today Aaron won
his first trophy in a F.I.S race. He won the Gordon Skiers Cup for
the best placed Under 18 British skier (he is only 15). After a safe
but not stunning first run, Aaron skied really well on the more
technical second run to beat many of the older competitors.
In a race where he was the 5th best British skier overall, he was
particularly pleased on the second run to be just 2.13 secs Noel
Baxter - the winner.

28 December 2005 - Back to BSA
After a hectic four days visiting
family and friends over the Christmas break Aaron travelled out to
the British ski academy today. He will join up with coach Andrea
Marchand, TJ Baldwin, Jai Geyer and others and will be training and
racing in and around the Chamonix area.
Apart from trying to reduce F.I.S points, Aaron knows that with Ross
Green looking after some very strong up and coming CH 2 racers -
they will be hot on his heels so there will be plenty of incentive
to train and race hard this season..

23 December 2005 - Home For Christmas
Well its nice to be home for
Christmas and to warmer weather, its been 25-30 below freezing for
much of the time in Canada. A big thank you to all the sponsors that
made the trip possible.
With the cold temperatures Aaron was pleased to be using his
England team uniform supplied by five seasons - excellent stuff for
the cold weather.
The four week camp with coach Andrea Marchand and training partner
TJ Baldwin culminated in 2 GS and 2 slalom races in the resort of
panorama. Some of the Ontario team that Aaron and TJ trained with
last year were there so the boys knew the races would be tough.
Aaron finished both GS races but lost a lot of time on the flats
so his points were not great. The first slalom was going really well
until Aaron crashed out near the end of the second run so no points
scored there. The second slalom was a little better and Aaron was
quite pleased to get a medal for the best performance by a non
seeded skier, finishing 33rd from a start position of 112.

12 November 2005 - Frontier-Ski Sponsorship
Frontier
ski will be sponsoring Aaron again this season making it possible
for him to travel to Canada for some early season training and
races.
Travelling with his training partner TJ Baldwin, Aaron will be
meeting up with their coach Andrea Marchand (ex-world cup skier).
Aaron said "frontier kindly sponsored this trip last year and it
was this training that really set me and TJ up to have a successful
season"
25 May 2005 - Aaron stays with Blizzard
Aaron has
chosen to ski on blizzard skis for a 5th season, moving into F.I.S
races this season Aaron was keen to stay with brand that he knows
and with suppliers that are always willing to help .
A big thank you
The
Ski Warehouse who sponsor Aaron, supplying blizzard skis, marker
bindings and a few other goodies.
15 June 2005 - SOLDA sponsor Aaron
Aaron is proud to announce that Solda ski wax will be sponsoring him
in his first season of F.I.S racing.
"Solda are a young and dynamic company, located in Valdagno
(Italy), which has its roots in the Olympic games of lake placid
(USA) in 1992, where the athlete Gino Solda started the engineering
of ski waxes and skis preparation." - quoted from the solda web site.

16 May 2005 - Team Selection News, UK
Aaron was really pleased to find out that he has been selected to
the British Youth Team and England alpine ski team for next
season. He would like to thank everyone who helped him last season
- a great team effort.
Next season will be tough as Aaron moves into the junior age
groups and will be competing against people who are a lot older
and stronger than he is.

10 May 2005 - Sponsorship,
UK
Insurance
brokers
Blackmore Heath today announced that they will be sponsoring
Aaron. These much needed funds will help Aaron to pay for his
summer training.
Ian Gosling, director said,
"we are delighted to sponsor Aaron as we firmly believe in
encouraging young talent and giving them the opportunity to
progress."
Blackmore Heath are an insurance brokers who specialise in
arranging insurance portfolios for businesses and quality
personal insurances such as household and motor for individuals,
and have been doing so for over 15 yrs. The cornerstone of the
business is professionalism and high quality of service. Further
information can be found on their website
www.bhl-insurance.co.uk

7 April 2005 - British
Children's Champs, France
Slalom:
Aaron fell over on the first run and HAD TO CLIMB BACK UP THE
HILL EVENTUALLY finishing the run in 16th place. On the second
run WITH Nothing to lose Aaron put in the fastest run by 0.69
sec, which was enough to get on the podium in third place.
GS:
A storming first run PUT Aaron 0.28 seconds in the lead at
the halfway stage. However one big mistake on the second run
AND THE LEAD WAS LOST, aaron ENDED up a disappointing 2nd
being beaten by ONLY 0.1 secs. There WAS SOME consolation IN
that he was still over 2 secs ahead of the rest of the field
Super-G:
A pretty good performance but some small mistakes over the
course meant he lost out by 0.4 secs to his training partner
TJ Baldwin and finished SECOND AGAIN. Both racers were again 2
secs ahead of the rest of the field so AARON HAD some mixed
emotions for that one.
Overall:
Two second places and a third were enough to take second
place in the overall competition.
Team event:
Aaron AS part of the British Ski Academy Teams did get two
first places in the Ch2 Boys team and the Best Club categories

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