A mother whose son was paralysed from the waist down in a bike crash has spoken of her confidence that he will one day walk again.

Keen runner Jason Minors suffered life-threatening head and internal injuries last month after his bike left the road and careered into a sidewalk railing on North Shore Road.

The 23-year-old is currently undergoing rehabilitation at a specialist centre in Boston after a successful back operation.

Doctors have said his treatment is going well ? and predicted he will eventually be able to feed and bathe himself.

Jason?s mother, Cynthia, told on Monday night: ?I know he?s going to walk.?

She said that despite the severity of his injuries and the loss of mobility after last month?s accident, Jason remains in high spirits.

?When he came around after the accident, he said ?I?m paralysed but I?m alright with it?. He has Jesus in his heart.?

She added: ?Everyone (who goes to visit) can?t get over him. They are saying he?s got heart. He never lets things get him down. He?s always been like that.

?He?s paralysed from the waist down but he moved his feet a couple of weeks ago. The doctors said there?s nothing wrong with his legs, all the nerves are there. The problem with his spine means he can?t walk.?

The bakery worker said she is confident her son will walk again and about the future, based on the latest information from medics treating Jason.

?I have faith and prayers,? she added. She said her husband, Frederick, is overseas with Jason as his treatment continues.

Before the accident, Jason worked at Esso Gas stations in Hamilton and Warwick, and was known by many in Bermuda for his love of running.

Said Cynthia: ?He used to run from Warwick back home to Hamilton Parish. He used to run all the time.?

The single bike accident happened on the afternoon of May 7 near the junction of Trinity Church Road, North Shore.

Cynthia said her son told her he was overtaking a car when he saw a van in the middle of the road. ?He did not want to hit it so he ended up hitting the sidewalk and the railing.?

The latest evaluation from doctors was that Jason was progressing ?incredibly well?, she told yesterday.

Although he is using a ventilator to breathe, it is no longer needed, she said, and his feeding tube has been removed as he can swallow again

Medics said he has been ?vigorously? taking part in his physical therapy programme. And although he still tires easily, he is improving quickly and will ultimately be independently mobile.

His mother said she is not sure when Jason, a former CedarBridge Academy pupil, will leave the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Massachusetts, and return home to family and friends in Bermuda.

?He could be back next month but I?m not that sure. I would prefer him to stay out there as long as possible.

?There are specialist facilities in Boston and he will get better care there than in Bermuda.?

Meanwhile, Cynthia said that her son had asked her to pass on his thanks to the paramedics who treated him at the accident scene.

?It was important he got to hospital as quickly as he did,? she added.

She said that Jason, a Christian, also thanked family, friends and fellow members of the Brighton Hill Church of Christ, Devonshire.