Published on: 14th November 2023
This week sees the awaited premiere of RNOH Charity Ambassador David Holmes' new documentary, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived. Executive produced by Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, the documentary explores the decade-plus-long friendship between the two in the wake of David's spinal injury in 2009 following an accident on set while filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
David was the stunt double for Radcliffe and sustained the injury when a stunt went wrong. Following his accident, David spent six months being treated for his spinal injury at our Spinal Cord Injury Centre (SCIC). SCIC is London’s only - and the largest - of 11 specialist centres in the UK dedicated to the lifelong service of people with a spinal cord injury. The unit is focused on the restoration, rehabilitation, and reintegration of people with dysfunction of the spine and spinal cord as well as leading cutting-edge research into spinal cord injury.
David's time on the spinal unit and his experience of the care he received from the highly skilled medical and therapy team led him to become closely involved in the RNOH Charity. Over the years since, David has been an active fundraiser and we are hugely grateful to him for the funds he has raised that have gone on to help other patients. His annual fundraising cricket match is a much-looked-forward-to event each summer.
Reflecting on his time at RNOH, David says: “I spent several months at RNOH after my accident, and the expertise and dedication of the hospital’s staff got me through that difficult time. I cannot praise the RNOH’s Spinal Cord Injury Centre enough – I had a hugely supportive medical team around me from the moment I arrived and was given fantastic support.”
We extend our thanks to David for the role he plays as a RNOH Charity’s Ambassador. He continues to support and fundraise for us and over the years has raised over £100,000 that has funded numerous projects ranging from the Davey Holmes vehicle to transport spinal cord-injured patients to fully furnishing a new patient room in the Stanmore Building; each of these and many other projects always enhance RNOH's services for patients. Most recently, David raised £5,000 towards the much-needed refurbishment of SCIC's day room. You too can support similar projects that help to strengthen and support RNOH to create the best patient experience by making a donation today here.
Make a donation to RNOH Charity today here, with your support we can continue to fund vital projects that help to strengthen and support the research and infrastructure that make RNOH one of the world’s best orthopaedic hospitals.
Feeling inspired? Donate to RNOH Charity today here. Your donation, no matter how big or small could help to fund vital projects that strengthen and support RNOH to create the best patient experience for people like David.
As well as featuring many of the stars and crew of the Harry Potter films, the documentary also features members of RNOH who have cared for David over the years. Everyone at RNOH and the RNOH Charity would like to wish David every success with the documentary and we reiterate our thanks for his fundraising efforts that have helped thousands of patients.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is on Sky Documentaries and Now from 18 November in the UK and on HBO on 15 November in the US.