Mike was 62-years-old, we’d been together for 32 years. He loved bikes and cars and had been a mechanic for many years. Then in 1995 we bought a house in Aylesford and he set up a shop selling spare parts and accessories.
More recently, Mike had set up a different business, transporting bikes around the country. The main thing was he was happy, in the prime of his life. He was a really kind person, nobody had a bad word to say about him. He was a gentle man, with a wicked sense of humour.
It was the weekend of the May Day Bike Run in 2019. Mike and his two mates didn’t want to do the official event and instead decided they’d meet up and ride to Rye.
It was 8:10 in the morning, a beautiful, sunny day, the sky was blue. It was probably one of the best bank holidays ever. He got as far as the Tonbridge turning on the A21, and that’s where the accident happened.
I knew nothing about it until I got a knock on the door from the police.
Two other bikers, who were off-duty nurses, stopped and gave him CPR.
The team from KSS had just landed at a promotional event in Ardingly and literally just took off again and were with Mike within minutes. Another paramedic, who I believe was heading London-bound, stopped and came over to help.
Together they gave him as much help and support as they could, and they revived him.
He had a severe brain injury, collapsed lungs and surgical emphysema, so they stabilised him and managed to fly him to King’s.
Mike then arrested again when he was transferred from A&E up into critical care, but he just never regained consciousness. And we had to make the decision ten days later, to switch life support off, which was the hardest decision but the right thing to do.
