One armed motorcyclist does 1000 miles around Ireland with best mate.

Hey everyone.

My name is Joseph Parry, some of you may know me, most of you likely will not. On April 21st in 2022 I went from a guitarist of 20 years and 6 day a week, 400kg leg press gym goer to a severe brachial plexus injury survivor courtesy of my GSXS1000F slamming into a van.

I remember being told that I’d never use my left hand ever again, and just like those scenes in movies where a grenade goes off and all you can hear is silence… well, that’s what happened.

I have a broken right hand/wrist with missing bone due to the handlebars hitting me so heavily, this also shattered the forearm into 3 pieces, dislocated my elbow, broke 2 ribs, and pulled all of the nerves of my left brachial plexus out of my spine.

This means I am paralysed via internal amputation from the side of my neck through to fingertips, including my lat (back) and pec (chest).

I have some of the worst nerve damage London has seen in 30 years and got told that less than 1% of people with BPI go on to live normal lives.

So across the 2 years of that accident I went on to use computers with one hand + my feet, including gaming / live streaming, working on imagery for fashion companies, adapting and relearning to ride again, and entered a music competition of 500 people and came 5th by programming guitars!

So I’m writing this to the next person who is sat in a hospital bed being told they have a Brachial Plexus Injury. Life will change for you, you are not the same as you were.

That’ll take time, years to come to accept and be able to believe in yourself again. But as I sit here in my boxershorts a day after returning from Ireland, exhausted, in pain, in an empty house. If you keep going, there’s more to see.

There’s more to achieve. Don’t be that 1%, you can do it, believe in yourself.

If I can ride a 175bhp Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory with a broken wrist around 1000 miles of Ireland then you can do it too. Look up Chris Mitchell from the Isle of Man, the photo of him shooting over a bridge one armed inspired me to believe it was possible.

I hope the severe nature of my injury never happens to another human being ever again, the nerve pain alone was beyond torturous.

Stay safe, you are loved.

To my friends and family, I thank you immensely.

To Isaac Vives from Fuel, Andy James from Michelin, Racer 1927, Suzuki, 44 Teeth, and Frasers of Gloucester, I thank you also for the trip wouldn’t have been possible without your help.

Mitch. I love you mate, thank you.