NICK McMAHON is today revealed as Britain’s best dad after caring for his sons despite crippling memory loss.
The 47-year-old has had amnesia since suffering a life-changing head injury in a 2011 motorbike smash.
Damage to his brain’s frontal lobe means Nick sometimes forgets he is married, or even where he lives.
But his proud sons Connor, 20, and 15-year-old Ryan, say that despite his agonising daily battles, the one thing he always remembers is to be a “super dad” to them.
After being told he was the winner of our Father’s Day competition, Nick beamed: “I’m thrilled beyond words.
“Being a dad is my proudest achievement. I know what happened to me has been tough for them.
“Being a dad means the world to me and being called a ‘Dad Idol’ is just amazing. Thank you.”
Connor and Ryan nominated Nick, together with their mum Emma, saying Nick has been “brave” and “brilliant” despite the challenges.
Ryan told the Sun on Sunday: “Dad is amazing as he always wants to talk to me and I can talk to him about anything. We know how tough it is for him, but he always puts us first and has fun with us. He is the best dad in the world.
‘He’s their rock’
“We know how heartbreaking it is for him not to be able to remember things. It is frustrating, too.
“We are going to capture so many memories thanks to the prizes, and we can’t thank the Sun on Sunday enough for picking him. He really is a super dad to us.”
Former roofer Nick, of Dinnington, Tyne and Wear, came off his motorbike when the boys were aged just six and one, landing on his head.
Despite wearing a helmet, his brain smashed against the inside of his skull, causing irreparable damage to the part which controls memory and emotions.
Emma, 46, who gave up her banking job to become a full-time carer, says that from the moment he had the terrifying accident, Nick vowed to be the best dad he could.
She said: “His entire focus in life became us. All he wanted to do was be the best dad he could, in any way he could.
“Everything was about the boys. He changed their nappies, he walked them to school with me.
“He loves supporting them — at sports day, through exams and guiding Connor at university. He is doing a course in paramedic science because of what happened to Nick.”
Emma said it was witnessing his father having a fit that drove Connor to pursue a career in health.
She added: “He was there during one of Nick’s seizures, and the relief he felt when the paramedics arrived is what led him to follow this career — it sparked something in him. He wants to help others and says his dad is his inspiration.
“With Connor, he shared his love of rock music and metal bands. With Ryan he learned about Xbox and PC games. Despite what has happened to him, Nick is their rock. They can talk to him about anything.
“He does the small but important things, like making Ryan’s packed lunch each day, and is helping him as he goes through his mock GCSEs. They’ve always sat down and watched Marvel films together.
“As a result of the accident, Nick also developed epilepsy. His consultant said that the fitter he was, the less likely he was to have seizures.
“So as soon as they were old enough, he started training with the boys in the gym.
“Ryan sometimes runs with his dad too, because Nick is training for an Ironman event in July.”
Describing what Nick means to his boys, she added: “He inspires them.
“Nick has completed marathons, half marathons and triathlons, raising money for charities such as Epilepsy Action and the Great North Air Ambulance.”
I am hoping one of the Dad Idol prizes will spark something so I can gain another memory with my sons that I can cherish. I truly hope so.
Nick
Amazingly, Connor and Ryan have learned DIY tricks from their father, too — even though he has to relearn the skills to do odd jobs every time they come up.
Once a task is complete, he forgets how he did it.
Amazingly, he has managed to fit a bathroom, fixes taps and does the painting and decorating at home.
Emma said: “He does it by putting on YouTube videos and then copying what they show.”
“He doesn’t remember to do things, though, so we leave notes, like to do the washing up. And he always needs one of us to guide him if he goes out.
“It means he spends more time with his sons than your regular father. Their bond is so strong and something I always love to see.
“We live in the moment — and that is a positive thing. We’ve been told Nick’s memory will never come back, but we never give up hope.”
What he won
- Four tickets to Butlin’s Big Weekender worth £1,000
- Dinner, bed, breakfast and golf at Celtic Manor Hotel worth £500
- Safari Tent at Lovat Parks worth £700
- Four tickets to Shocktober Fest in Sussex worth £600
- Four Micro Scooters worth £1,000
- Home technology Netgear upgrade worth £1,200
- Rock Face men’s grooming products worth £400
- Instant Pot Grind and Brew coffee machine worth £150
- Instant Pot multi cooker worth £250
- Char-Broil gas BBQ worth £665
- Vax SpotWash Home pet and car cleaning kit worth £220
Our Super-Dad has won an amazing prize worth nearly £7,000, including four tickets to the Butlin’s Big Weekender music festival this summer.
He also gets a trip to Celtic Manor hotel in Newport, a stay in a safari tent at Lovat Parks in Cornwall or the New Forest, plus micro scooters, home tech, grooming gear, a coffee machine, a top gas barbecue and Vax cleaning kit.
And he hopes one of the prize experiences will trigger his memory.
Nick explained: “Virtually everything since the accident in 2011 is blank.
“I can’t remember anything ten years before my accident either.
“While I can remember meeting Emma, I can’t remember our wedding day or the birth of my sons, which is just awful.
“I am hoping one of the Dad Idol prizes will spark something so I can gain another memory with my sons that I can cherish. I truly hope so.”
Nick relies on a memory bank of photos to piece his life together.
He said: “I have 41,000 images just on my phone. When I need to remember something, I can scroll through them and fill in the gaps.
“Creating new photographs is so important to me — they are the memory bank of my life.”
As the thrilled family posed for a photograph together, Britain’s best dad Nick said: “I will be putting this in my memory bank, too, to remember today. I am so grateful to the Sun on Sunday.”
