A Beckenham man who suffered life changing injuries at the start of the year is refusing to give up after initially being told he would never recover.

Philip White broke his vertebrae and damaged his spinal cord after falling from a ladder while lifting heavy floor tiles in January. 

One of his son's, Louis, heard a "lifeless voice" pleading for help after a crash sounded from the garage. 

Philip was rushed to King’s College Hospital before being transferred to St George’s where he was operated on for six hours to fix the break and remove loose fragments of vertebrae. 

The first prognosis was that he would be permanently paralysed from the neck down and would not be able to move again. 

Philip, clamped to the bed with blocks around his damaged neck, reminded his family that "he loved a challenge" and a one per cent chance was all he needed.

At one stage he gathered his family into his intensive care unit to say "sorry" and to console his loved ones.

Through world class treatment and self-belief, Philip has made "miraculous" improvements. 

He is now based at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and remains in a wheelchair. 

However, he was briefly allowed home for the first time in months last week to celebrate his twin son and daughter's 23rd birthdays. 
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"Everyone was quite nervous," Alex, who shares his birthday with sister Georgia, told News Shopper. "You don’t know how he will react to being at home again in a wheelchair. 

"But it was just normal. We laughed and joked, and he completely ripped the s*** out of me, so nothing had changed.

"The only emotion was delight and the hardest part was saying goodbye again."

Philip grew up in Croydon and worked relentlessly to become a successful businessman and is known for helping many people along the way. 

An online fundraiser was set up to pay for him to have intensive therapy rehab at a specialist residential facility once discharged.

The cost is £3,500 a week and £55,000 has already been raised in days. 

"It’s incredible," Alex said. "Nobody expected it to happen that quickly. Reading every single message on there means more than the money. 

"He doesn’t need any more motivation, but it all adds up. There are comments on it that have made us laugh and cry. 

"There’s nearly 450 contributions and it shows how many people he has touched."

Staff at St George’s were in tears when he was transferred after he inspired other injured patients on the ward to continue fighting.
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Philip did daily physio sessions and was doing bicep curls from his bed as he began to regain movement in his upper body and arms.  

His dream is now to walk again, and his family is convinced he can do it.

"He is a man you can never doubt," Alex said. "His saying has always been 'getting s*** done'. 

"You never know how someone will react to adversity but not for one minute am I shocked by his reaction."
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Philip is regularly using gym facilities to give himself the best chance getting his old life back.

His sons are preparing for their own challenges to raise money and the family said "words cannot explain the gratitude" they feel towards the NHS and everyone who has supported them so far.