A father-of-three who was left paralysed from the waist down after a freak accident has shared his heart-wrenching story.

In May, 2013, Kevin Dwyer, now from Gravesend, was an avid gym-goer before he collapsed at his then home in South London.

Following surgery to remove a prolapsed disc in his spine, the grandad has been left in constant pain on a daily basis, inhibiting him from living his life.

He is now appealing for help to raise money for potentially life-changing stem cell surgery that could let him kick a ball around with his three-year-old grandson.

Previously physically fit, Kevin was left with no feeling in his arms or legs following the fall.

He said: "When I fell, I passed out, and I shouted 'no' as I was falling, which I can't recall at all.

"I heard my daughter scream, and she is the biggest coward in the world when it comes to spiders, and the usual sentence after the scream is 'dad come and get the spider'.

"But on this occasion, she was right in front of my face in hysterics asking what had happened, I was laying on a box in the corner of the room.

"My now ex-wife and my son grabbed an arm each, went to stand me up and my son said 'dad come on stand up,' but I couldn't feel my legs.

"I was lying on the stretcher outside the ambulance, facing up and I can remember it like it was yesterday.

"It was a bright sunny day, my dog was running around beside me, he could tell something was up, I could hear my ex partner and the paramedics, some neighbours, I could hear everyone talking but I was a million miles away, thoughts racing through my mind. I was in complete disarray, my mind was all over the place."

Kevin was taken to St George's Hospital in Tooting where he was seen by a neurological specialist and stayed for five weeks under observation.

He was sent for an MRI scan the day after the accident which discovered he had a prolapsed disc in his upper spine which caused the fall.

Months before the incident he had gone to his GP with a numbness in his left foot, but the damaged disc was not picked up.

He added: "I didn't sleep a wink during my first night at the neurological ward.

"I realised that I needed to keep control of my mind at that point.

"I visualised myself walking, I committed whole heartedly to anything that could aid my recovery and I made a decision right then that I had already recovered."

After months of rehabilitation and consultations, Kevin had made an incredible recovery and was back in his beloved gym training four or five times a week.

However, he was advised to have the damaged disk removed, as if it was injured again he could be paralysed from the neck down.

He had the operation in August 2014, a year after his initial fall.

Even though the procedure was dubbed a success, Kevin has experienced crippling discomfort, leaving him at a "7/10 on good days" in terms of pain levels.

He said: "I'm currently in pain from the time I wake to the time I go to sleep, most days I'm at about a seven out of 10 in terms of pain however on bad days that can increase to 8.5 - 9/10.

"I take a host of medication but it appears my body has become immune and I no longer feel much benefit although when I previously tried to reduce my medication I actually felt how much they were doing.

"If I have to walk around the house, my legs feel like they are on fire, like they are burning from the inside."

Kevin has now launched a GoFundMe page to help raise money for potentially life-altering stem cell treatment not covered by the NHS.

He continued: "I've got too much to live for.

"The warrior spirit has come out of me from somewhere, I refuse to give up."

"I've got a grandson and he just melts me. I would love to be able to kick a ball in the park and run around with him.

"Aside from that I have always been a very positive and optimistic person and the warrior spirit has come out of me from somewhere, I refuse to give up.

"Every single person who donated and shared the page, I am eternally grateful.

"Every penny, donation, share, means the world to me because it is just that one step closer that could be life changing for me.

"I appreciate it beyond words, I only hope that my words are enough to show the level of gratitude I have for these people."

To donate to Kevin's fund, visit his GoFundMe page.

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend