A single father has revealed how a terrifying moment at the gym left him with no front teeth and a lisp.
Ted Rickson, Operations Manager from the UK, fainted during a workout after lifting a heavy weight.
According to the 32-year-old, who has been training at Zeus’ gym in Hastings for more than eight years, time spent in the gym is usually a ‘great escape’ for him.
However, on this occasion, his exercise caused more stress than relaxation when he ended up in the hospital after losing consciousness and falling.
Speaking about his gym habit, Ted said the training helped his mental health, adding:I’ve had a lot of ups and downs over the years with the loss of my father and sadly losing the mother of my child.
Ted Rickson (pictured) is a 32-year-old single father who was left without his front teeth after he got lost in the gym and fell hard, landing on his face
I do a full time job, and being a full time dad, so the gym is really a great release and escape for me. It makes me focus and allows me to relax.
Describing the incident on March 28, he said he was lifting 110kg, and decided to go down to 100kg for his last set.
“I wasn’t feeling 100 percent that day, and my head wasn’t very focused,” Ted said.
“ I decided to pace between my second and final sets and clean and press without taking time to recover… I also (didn’t) breathe properly and (tried to) do the clean and press in one motion, which clearly resulted in me, coming out and dropping teeth first on a stump the trees.
“I woke up immediately after the crash and people were running towards me. I slowly realized what was happening when one tooth was spit out and the other felt unsafe.
“Other gym members and staff came and tended to me while I was bleeding and looking like a ghost.”
Ted was taken to A&E, where paramedics checked for fractures to his skull and jaw—fortunately, the damage was limited to just his teeth.
He said: Then I went to the ambulance after the hospital and pulled out my other tooth and its root to break it. This was all on the same day which was obviously a lot for one day.
Ted (pictured before he died during exercise) explained how he wasn’t feeling his best on the day of the accident
According to Ted, the accident made him feel “really stupid”.
“Irritatingly, I decided to miss all the comfy mats and fall on the logs,” he explained.
I’ve been through a hell of a lot in life, so my mental (accident) wasn’t cool, because I deserve a break.
I feel strong in myself but clearly not happy about losing my teeth.
He added that the loss of teeth left him with a lisp.
‘I struggle with pronouncing some letters that weren’t good mentally for me,’ Ted said.
I posted the video (of the accident) online and brightened it up because I’ve been through more of the worst of my life than two missing teeth.
I’m glad it wasn’t worse and I didn’t get a concussion or a fractured skull.
I’m sore around my mouth and lips because I’m biting off part of my lip but apart from that I’m alive and I now have a lisp. I am now referred to as Thed.
Ted now hopes to get dental implants to replace the teeth he lost in the accident – and he’s been quoted around £3,000 per tooth – an enormous expense for Ted.
“Being a full-time single dad doesn’t really allow me to have that money in excess,” he explained.
However, he is hopeful that he will be able to raise the money and get the work done.
“The Zeus gym owners set up a GoFundMe for me without me asking, which is really cool,” he said.
After his death, he fell (pictured) and fell hard on his face, which immediately knocked out one front tooth and damaged the other so badly that he had to have it removed.
To date, around £500 of the £5,000 target has been raised, with 19 donations made to the fund.
‘It really made me feel like my home from home.’ Thanks to Chris and Jackie Green for doing this for me and everyone who donated.
Despite the injury, Ted says he’s thankful it wasn’t worse, and gives advice to his gym mates so they can avoid similar accidents.
He said: I am RTo my great joy, my son still has his father, and he only has two teeth. Don’t rush things and know when to take a break. Take more creatine.
“If anyone can donate as well, that would be great too,” Ted added.
You can find Ted GoFundMe page here.
