Darek Fidyka

Dariusz "Darek" Fidyka (born ) is a Polish firefighter and recovering paraplegic who became the first person in history to verifiably recover sensory and motor function after the complete severing of his spinal cord.

Having been paralysed from the chest down in a knife attack in 2010, Fidyka regained the ability to walk in 2014 after receiving a pioneering regenerative treatment from a British-advised Polish surgical team.

Biography Pioneering spinal surgery In 2012, Fidyka began receiving treatment from a collaborative team of Polish surgeons and researchers, in collaboration with British scientists based at UCL's Institute of Neurology, who used a pioneering technique, based on research by Geoffrey Raisman, to repair the damage to his spinal nerves. who also supported the UK research, along with UK Stem Cell Foundation. The Polish surgical team, led by the neurosurgeon Pawel Tabakow, extracted olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from Fidyka's olfactory bulbs and grew a cell culture sufficient to repair his damaged spinal nerves, exploiting the OECs' ability to renew damaged nerve fibres. In March 2016, the medical centre that helped Fidyka regain neural function of his limbs announced they are looking for two people to help confirm the treatment in a trial that will be independently assessed.

As of 2016, Fidyka could cycle a tricycle.