A man who came “extremely close to dying” after he fell 70ft from a friend’s balcony will mark the anniversary of his accident by defying doctors and running a marathon.

Sam Kean, 21, of Auckland Road, Ilford, fell from the balcony of a friend’s fifth floor flat in London on May 7 and will mark the anniversary by competing in the Belfast Marathon.

Suffering a long list of injuries, including a fractured pelvis, punctured lungs and broken elbows, Sam is now raising money for St Mary’s Hospital, in Praed Street, London where he recovered for over a month.

His fundraising has seen him nominated for the Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Club Young Citizen Award, sponsored by Exchange Ilford.

On July 11, Sam was discharged from Queen’s Hospital, Romford, where he spent about three weeks of his recovery.

He then endured a further month bed-bound at home before finally beginning to walk again three months after the fall.

His progress has been quick and he returned to work as an accountant assistant just six months after the accident, leaving doctors “astonished”.

He said: “I can’t remember the fall, I can’t even remember the weeks before it.

“I was in a coma for just over three weeks and when I woke up I had no idea what had happened. “A week after my fall my parents were blue-lighted through London to say goodbye to me, so I was extremely close to dying.

“The hospital are astonished that I’m not paralysed or in a wheelchair.”

Sam spent his 21st birthday in a wheelchair, but his competitive edge has seen him push his body to its physical limits by running 26.2 miles as a thank you for the care he received.

He added: “I have raised over �740 already, so I think I’ll beat my �1,000 target.”

To sponsor Sam visit www.justgiving.com/sam-kean.

To nominate a Young Citizen, click on the link on the right of this website’s homepage.