Former MP David Duguid opens up about life-changing spinal cord injury

The former Tory MP who was effectively deselected by his party while being treated for a severe spinal illness has opened up about his five-month journey to recovery.

Speaking in his first TV interview since his injury, David Duguid said he was “essentially paralysed” by the illness.

The former Banff and Buchan MP had intended to contest the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat at the General Election.

But that ended after a surprise announcement by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross replaced Duguid in the constituency. Ross ultimately lost the seat to the SNP.

He said the party decided Duguid was too ill to stand, something Duguid denies.

Speaking to STV News, the politician said he is improving every single day but still has a way to go.

David Duguid thanked NHS staff for helping him through his recovery. STV News

“Every day is a rehab day here at the spinal injury unit,” he said at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. “I usually have three hours at least of going through some sort of exercise.

“It did bring to mind where I was four months ago when I started here – I was in reasonably good shape but I still had a way to go.

“As far back as April I had what they think was a spinal stroke, but it was certainly some sort of spinal cord injury so there’s no external damage as such – it was all from the inside out.

“That essentially paralysed me early on but even in Aberdeen when I was going through hospital-acquired pneumonia, which I barely have any memory of, my physical mobility was coming back on its own.

“But it’s not since I came here to the spinal injury unit here, the national spinal injury unit, what I’m told is the centre of excellence for the whole of the UK, that my rehab really kicked off, almost from day one of coming here.”

Duguid said while he wouldn’t have chosen to be in his current situation, he is making good progress on recovery.

His time at the special injury unit, he said, has been “life-changing, lie-affirming and actually a good experience if I can look at it that way”.

Looking forward, Duguid says he remains optimistic about where he goes from here.

He said: “I’ve always been optimistic about my recovery ever since I came out of intensive care and got transferred here to Glasgow.

“Even knowing staff here for a short period of time I got a good feeling that I was going to come out here in a lot better shape than I came in.

“I’m more of less standing, I’m more of less walking. Still need a bit of help and still got a bit of improvement to go but I am in certainly as in good a shape as I thought I ever could be after three or four months of physiotherapy.”

He thanked the “fabulous” NHS in Glasgow and Aberdeen who have helped him throughout his recovery, as well as the Scottish Ambulance Service which transported him to hospital.

He added: “Everyone who comes here to the spinal injury unit leaves in a better shape than when they came in and that’s what everyone looks forward to.”