A young dad left fighting for his life after being stabbed in the spine is back on his feet

A young father left fighting for his life after he was stabbed in the spine in a brutal attack is back on his feet again.

Umair Khan with his daughter Zaina as a toddler

Umair Khan was attacked by two men on Panmuir Place on September13 in an alleged robbery.

After being found by a retired doctor Mr Khan was blue lighted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where medics removed the blade left in his upper spine in a six hour life-saving surgery.

The dad-of-one could barely move anything below the neck for days. He lost control of his bladder and bowels and had no power in his legs.

Umair Khan with daughter Zaina, before his injuries

Doctors feared he might never walk again, after the severe spinal injuries he suffered.

But two months later Mr Khan, from Edinburgh, is up on his feet making a strong recovery as he learns to walk again with crutches. He has thanked his medical team for giving him a chance to rebuild his life.

While lying in a hospital bed having nightmares about the attack and unable to see his family, his father had a heart attack.

He said of the ordeal: “It has been so emotional for me. I think I’ve shed more tears in these weeks than in any other time in my life.

“I’ll never forget that night. I thought I was going to die, before I got to say goodbye to my wife and daughter. When it happened I felt my back was hit but didn’t know I had been stabbed at first. With the third blow I dropped and held onto a railing. I saw all this blood pouring out. I have never felt extreme pain like it. I just wanted anything to make it stop. Then my wife and daughter arrived. The minute I saw their faces I thought, everything is going to be okay. It has to be.”

“At first I had zero power in my legs. I was in bed in total isolation for 8 days so couldn’t see my wife or daughter. Doctors said I might not be able to walk again.

“I couldn’t let that happen. Lying in bed for days I had substantial muscle wastage. My limbs were floppy, it was terrifying. I was scared that I would become a dead weight. The last thing I want is to be a burden to my family.”

“After a week I got some movement in one leg. That was a bit of hope. I was motivated when I finally got to see my family. Seeing my daughter smile is what keeps me going.”

Before the near-fatal attack in September Mr Khan operated his own taxi business and was a keen cyclist. He loved taking his daughter Zaina, six, to the park.

Now he faces months of gruelling, daily rehabilitation. Doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Unit in Glasgow have praised his positive attitude to recovery. After a month of physiotherapy, he could stand with crutches and now he’s walking every day as well as doing sit ups and tackling stairs.

He said: “The week before it happened, I ran up Gypsy Brae with my friends. I beat them in a race to the top. Now little things are a big deal. Like making a cup of coffee. I have motion but still no real control or balance, my energy goes so I get tired very fast.”

“The consultants have been fantastic. With their support and seeing other patients work hard I’ve felt I could get through the days.”

“Doctors told me it was a dream to work with such a positive patient. I have to stay positive. I know my life will never be the same again. One day I was away on a break with my wife - the next I couldn’t move. But I have to fight, I can’t just stop living.

“In the first week I was delirious. I had a lot of nightmares and woke up screaming. Those are the injuries you can’t see on the outside.”

Following his rapid progress in rehabilitation doctors diagnosed Mr Khan with incomplete paraplegia so he is not paralysed and still has some sensation in his legs. He also has rare condition called brown-sequard syndrome, meaning he has sensation on his left side but can’t feel hot and cold or any other sensation on the right.

He is determined to be walking unaided by December so he can enjoy Christmas at home with his wife Nathania and daughter Zaina.

“Little things can feel overwhelming but I have to look past the challenges. I can’t delete the memory of what happened to me but I can learn to let it all go and try to start over again. Learning to walk again makes me a beginner in a way.”

“Last night I hit a milestone. I got up from my bed without holding on to anything. That seems so small but I had a huge sense of achievement! My first goal is to walk to pick up my daughter at school. And enjoy Christmas with my family.”

It could take up to 18 months for the swelling on Mr Khan’s spine to go down but after his rapid progress in just eight weeks there’s a chance he could recover up to 80 per cent of function in legs, doctors said.

“It’s daunting. There’s no cure. I will never make full recovery like I was before. I won’t be able to go on my cycle again but could get a hand cycle.”

“I’m scared of going out into the real world. Reality will be so different to the hospital environment. I’ve lost my livelihood so that is going to be hard for our family.

“But I’ve already come so far and I’m proud of the way I’m training my body. All the doctors have worked wonders. I can’t thank them enough. I think what they have helped me to achieve is nothing less than a miracle.”

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