About 5 years ago I was CTO'ing for a firm upstairs in the same building as GoCardless - both firms moved out of that abandoned shell in Finsbury Square around

About 5 years ago I was CTO'ing for a firm upstairs in the same building as GoCardless - both firms moved out of that abandoned shell in Finsbury Square around 3-4 months after I left, I believe. At the time they were focused entirely on validating direct debit payments were something people wanted to do online (they do), and we were figuring out how to move private jets around Europe (long story). I only met Hiroki briefly, my main interactions were with others there. They seemed like a committed and focused group, determined to build something of value. I have some empathy for some of this story: I couldn't walk in April of this year and had to have surgery to remove an abscess that caused some quite nasty neuropathy. It happened quite quickly - over a couple of weeks, not a car crash speed, at least. And I was treated by Imperial down in Hammersmith, the same trust who I believe run St Mary's. Whilst my prognosis was not quite as dramatic - I was told that walking again was "a nice side effect we see in 70%-80% of people in this sort of case" - I was prepared to be in a wheelchair the rest of my life. I told my GF that if she couldn't handle that, I'd understand. The silly cow didn't take her chance... :-) That moment when you wake up in recovery, try and move your toes and realise nothing has really changed: pretty devastating. I was lucky. Physiotherapy and time have contributed to me walking pretty well with a stick, and that might go soon. My spinal injury was no more than a compression, in which the nerves will over time regrow mostly - unlike Hiroki's which sounds more like a shear. I can also empathise with the desire to get through physiotherapy quickly: whilst I still receive weekly physiotherapy sessions (I have one in a couple of hours, actually), I wanted to get off the inpatient unit ASAP: the normal stay was 3-4 months for my sort of case. I got done in 5 weeks. I've heard stories of people being there for years. Also, being pushed around is stupid. I agree with him on that. My girlfriend, bless her, she did well. But never again. And yes, it does all make you rethink everything you are and do and value in life, and in some ways accidents like this can be blessings in disguise. I suspect he will now be more focused and determined to do the big things in life that you dream about but never act on: I know I have become so since leaving hospital. No more sitting around watching Netflix every night for me... I might be lucky in that I can walk again - and 6 months from now you'll never know I went through anything like I have - but I'll always have a certain appreciation for life that only people who have been through something that traumatic can share. Good luck to him, and to the rest of the GC guys - they're all going to be fine.