Now.
Today's on the Couch interview is a reminder of two things really, firstly of how life can change in an instant but secondly of how one can find a way to make a contribution even in the face of massive obstacles. With me on the line is Villy Lawrence, who is a former truck salesman whose life was turned upside down by a motorbike accident not quite two years ago. Despite facing massive physical and financial challenges, Really decided to build
something positive out of his experience. He turned his own mechanical knowledge and sales expertise into a nonprofit which benefits others like him who have suffered compromised mobility and who need to have their sense of freedom and dignity and independence restored to them. It's a huge pleasure to have Really with us on the line to tell us his own story, but also how that nonprofit is going. Villy Lawrence, Welcome to KEP Talk.
Thank you very much. I'm delighted to be there.
Thank you. Really, before let's talk about your life before the accident. Before we get to how everything changed, just tell us a little bit about yourself and what you were doing before the day that changed everything.
Yeah, I've been a King Baker all my life. And yeah, I came to cap Down about six years ago and then I started doing the park rounds. We went Highking and yeah, I was a very active man. But all my life I've been a motorcyclist and I've been riding for forty two years as a license.
Okay, And you were working as a truck salesman, is that correct?
Yes, I was starting for power store and if I w in Nepal. Yeah, I was also instructor drivers to take the new drivers on courses so that they can then to drive truck.
Okay, So a job which was very hands on, and I'm saying that very deliberately, as listeners will understand in a moment, because everything about your life was changed on the twenty sixth of November twenty twenty three. Willie tell us what happened that day?
Yeah, that was a terrible day for me. It started off as a very beautiful day. It was a day off the toy and yeah, Krone and that's the Biggause get together called a cyclist in the country, Yes, and I'll stay in So I decidedle I'm not going to just take this short right so I wanted to to take a Suni route and get some guys on the
way back. And on my way just before monstery On in seven, I saw people overtaking her car on the left hand side because she was traveling quite slowly in the fast lane, and I moved in next to him, and he deliberately pushed me off the road and I went into the barrier, and it was immediate amputation. Smart sure I came up and while they came off right on the scene. And yeah, I don't know how they got to me so quickly, because also that say I should have read to death.
It's an astonishing thing, really, I mean appalling injuries like that. To have survived at all is amazing. But the circumstances of how that happened. Were you ever able to track down the driver who caused those injuries? Was there any kind of consequence for that person?
Not at all? You know before what they say they especially on that piece of road, they've got scouts on the side of the road, and then the guys in the car. They travel and they look for soft targets like a guy alone on a motorbile, all women tunning on a car or a young girl driving a newly bought car, and then fortune off the road and the guys on the side roped them. Sure, and that's exactly
what happened to me at all. Down They were right day, right there and then, and they grabbed everything that they could want, money out of more pockets, and they tried everything, and yeah, the card just got away.
That's absolutely appalling. Oh really, I mean to be lying there fighting for your life and then have that happen to you. I can't even begin to imagine. It's just absolutely sickening to hear that. But this miraculous survival really obviously at a huge cost. The loss of an arm and a leg, that is a loss that changes your ability to do everything in life, to navigate your job, to navigate looking after yourself at home, your mobility, and your ability to lead the life that you led before.
Tell us a little bit about the immediate sort of recovery period and what you faced as you came to terms with those injuries.
Well, as I woke up, are just so, well, I don't have an armorer, I don't have a leg anymore. And yeah, I've been an entrepreneur all my life, so I've most of the time, I was working for myself my life, and I didn't look well well after my old age. So I was worried straight away, Yo, how am I going to work for the next ten years or so? And that's when I decided, well, yeah, I have to make a plan. And while my ideas was
running out, I didn't know how to do it. But then I bought a mobility scooter for myself after I got a and that just just changed my world because I, you know, you know, wheel chair, I can't even pushed myself with only a left and you just go in circles. And yeah, so I was, yo, you don't you don't know what it goes like. But then when I got to scooter, everything changed, and I said to my key giver,
I was fortunate to have a key giver. She looked after my mother until she passed, and then, as I say, I organized their job, so she's looking she's actually still looking after me because it's a lot of things that are a lot of things that are still can't do for myself. But then I say to your well, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to help people get the scooters and make a plan to just
get people going after accident. You know, it's so easy to go into depression and you really don't know how to get out of that depression. You need something to pick you up. And Manderlord Mobility scooter picked me up. But everybody is not fortunate to have thirty thousand and
ran to go and buy a scooter. And so first of all, I became an agent for Indiarra mobility products and I'm selling the they will chase and mobility scooters and all the mobility aids and and also but ye see, when the people happened going to an accident, it is very very difficult for them to just quickly take out the teachers and learn to buy a scout or something. And that's the idea of the nonprofit came from because
I need to sell this. The scooters disurvived. That's why brand and butter and that's why we started as in PC to to bark from me. If we see somebody using difficulty, especially bikers, but everybody else using difficulty, we try and help him with a mobility scouter or a wheel chair or crutch or even a date for the time. Immediately our thinkue it's how we are a hospital and that's what we got to do. We start doing fundraisers.
We did our first Rightful Mobility rap up for Recovery motorcycle run and we added that one hundred bucks that came together and we all travel everybody both T shirts and badges, and you know, we might have got twelve thousand grand on that day. Then we got two pool days or what, well, let's day at Stations club, Well, let's stub and they we get the people to come and play competitive pull and when some magic process we get sponsored process and that's how we get our money in.
But we're not really making money yet, but we're working on that. And that's what the thing Actors is giving me the opportunity to can to do is to tell the people people. So if you want to contribute towards this NPC, we've got a bank account that you can find some money in or just give me a call. I'll give you my son. And that's the easiest way because I don't have everything on me at the moment,
the banking details and so on. And support us. We also in the crisis says of getting the eighteen form that you can do, that we can you can deduct toward contribution of your text that we don't have in place. It as you know about this is a very new company. I had by accident now seventeen months ago, so it's a very new thing. But we're going from strengths strings.
I'm so glad to hear it, Philly. And you've called it mobility for freedom. Is that correct?
Mobility for feedram dot or o RG.
Okay, So somebody wants to find your Facebook page or your website, they're searching for Mobility for Freedom NPC, a registered nonprofit in the process of getting all the ducks in a row for Section eighteen tax deductible forms. But most importantly, Revilly is to spread the word that this is the vision of being able to help those who are not fortunate enough to be able to help themselves
because it is so expensive to buy these aids. I mean, you've spoken about how that mobility scooter was the light that helped pull you out of depression and pick you up to find the courage to go forward. Billy, What does it enable you to do that you weren't able to do before? Can we maybe just give a couple of practical examples?
Oh? Yes, you know I started doing a park round. It was really very much fun for me to parkround, to hike, to hide motobiks, and yes, as I said, motorbikes is my life. I've been riding all my life. And yeah, all those things just was just taken away. I can't go and walk on the beach anymore. I can't go and put my feet in the water. There's a lot of things that I can't do. But our by pieces that that is such just something that you
have to work through. And the thing makes with the mobility Aid, it gives you the freedom to go and drive on the pier or drive on the pavement. Even though you can't walk or run or anything, you can
still do participate in things. If you've got an eight even if it's a normal wheelchair, if you can't even electrical thing, even normal wheelchair, to put somebody in and go and go for a walk, go and sit up setting right here next to you see at the moment, looking at the waves, and that gives that gives you the freedom to feel I'm still alive. I'm still alive, and that makes all the difference.
I'm so delighted that that freedom has been blessed to you villian, that you've made the effort to try and share that with others who are in a similar position. We wish you the best of luck. I hope that this interview might spark some interest from potential donors and at least get people to keep an eye on your Facebook page for news on future fundraising events, etc. If they'd like to support this work. Most of although, we
wish you all the best. Billy Lawrence, thank you for sharing your story with us on the show this afternoon.
So it's a great pleasure, and thank you for having me.
It's my pleasure. Billy Lowrence the founder of Mobility for Freedom, a nonprofit that is trying to help other victims of accidents and disability of some kind to get them back mobile, regaining some sense of independence through the access to independent mobility aids. If you would like to support them, to google Mobility for Freedom NPC.