Dad back from the dead to be at daughter's wedding

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A MAN whose death certificate was prepared after he was in a horrific accident last year drew a round of applause on Saturday when he walked his daughter down the aisle.

Ali McGill (51), of Moray Park, Dalgety Bay, broke his neck and back and fractured his skull in a collision during his first-ever cycling race 12 months ago.

Yet he defied experts' fears that he would die, or at best never walk again, and on Saturday friends and family spontaneously applauded as he walked arm in arm (pictured) with his daughter, Laura, at her wedding ceremony in the Keavil House Hotel, Crossford.

"There was cheering and a lot of tears," said Laura (27), of Calais View, Dunfermline. "Everyone was so proud of my dad."

Laura had planned to get married last August but postponed the wedding because she was determined that her dad should be present.

And what was already a very special occasion for Laura and her groom, postman Evan Donaldson (28), was made even more so the day before the wedding when she had learned she'd won £1000.

Laura, a veterinary nurse, had been entered for the Forth One competition by her colleagues at Inglis Veterinary Hospital in Dunfermline.

The radio station had run a competition to find 'Britain's Hardest Working Feet' and the story of how Laura had travelled every day for months to see her dad in hospital in Glasgow, yet still managed to stay bright and cheery at her work, touched the judges' hearts.

Laura, who on Tuesday flew off with Evan for a two-week honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, added that she felt the award was not just for her but for friends and family - especially her mum, Kath - who had been through a particularly difficult year.

"They've all been working just as hard as me since my dad's accident," she said modestly.

Ali had just joined West Fife club Sandy Wallace Cycles and was competing in his first time trial event at Cleish on 3rd June last year when he was in a collision with another cyclist.

Knocked out cold, he was attended immediately by first-aiders and a doctor and was flown by air ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where experts feared he wouldn't survive.

"His death certificate was ready to be signed," said Kath.

After spending the night there he was transferred to the intensive care unit at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, where he spent two weeks.

It was feared Ali would be paralysed from the neck down but during his six months in hospital he slowly recovered some mobility.

"It's been a long process," said Laura, "but he's doing really well.

"He is now able to walk though he has only limited movement in his arms. He's getting physiotherapy, goes swimming and is now able to feed himself."

At Inglis Veterinary Hospital, staff are delighted that their colleague's efforts have been rewarded.

"Laura is a very special person," said head nurse Leeann Burton.

"She took a month's compassionate leave after her dad's accident but after that she never missed a shift, even though she used to travel to see him in Glasgow every day.

"In all that time she never once showed any signs of strain. She was never grumpy or miserable and seemed to take it all in her stride. She was really brave.

"The wedding was really moving for everyone, especially when her dad got a big round of applause."

But, like any dad at his daughter's wedding, no-one was prouder than Ali himself.

"It was a great day," he said, "and I really surprised myself by being able to walk as well as I did."