FOR many Warrington Wolves fans, their visit to Wembley for the 2018 Challenge Cup final was a day to forget- but for Stephen Prescott, it is a day he struggles to remember.
In fact, he is lucky to be alive - having fallen 30ft over a bannister and down a two-storey flight of stairs in the concourse at half-time during the Wire's 20-14 defeat to Catalan Dragons.
Originally from Woolston, the 29-year-old moved to London five years ago to pursue a career in events management.
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Wembley was therefore the ideal setting for his younger brother Adam's stag do - with the wedding set to take place a week later.
Stephen had no idea then that the events of Saturday, August 25 2018, would change his life forever - for more reasons than one.
He said: "I was severely concussed, so it's all still really hazy - as far as I know, it was just a complete freak accident.
"I was lucky that the way I fell meant that I landed on my feet, and my head was the last thing to hit the concrete.
"One minute I was buying beers at half-time, the next minute I was in hospital.
"It was just me, my brother and my dad on my brother's stag do.
"We were supposed to have a good night after it, but obviously that didn't happen.
"I missed the wedding as well, because I was concussed for two weeks afterwards - if you'd asked me who the Prime Minister was I would have told you it was Margaret Thatcher.”
Stephen's injuries included a fractured, dislocated and displaced foot, torn knee cartilage, ligament damage, fractured ribs and a sprained wrist.
Stephen's right foot was fractured, dislocated and displaced after the accident
But the accident and subsequent recovery period left him with a different outlook on life.
This was underlined when his dad John - an entertainer famed for his Elvis impersonation act, featured on Stars In Their Eyes - died aged 54 two days before Christmas while on holiday in Turkey.
Stephen and fiancee Polly Botham - a kids' TV storyboard artist - decided to leave their lives behind and embark on an epic three-month adventure around south east Asia.
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He said: "The support from the club after the accident was absolutely outstanding.
"All the fans were asking about me, the players sent me a signed card and they invited me to watch one of the games back in Warrington.
"It was great to see the rugby league family come together to show their support for me and it really did help.
"The moral of the story after coming through my recovery was that I realised how fragile life is.
"I had quite a high profile job working for one of the top 10 communications agencies in the UK organising big conferences.
"It was a very high-pressured, fast-paced job living in London for five years.
"When I had a bit of time to recover and reflect after my accident, me and my fiancee decided that we should take some time for ourselves and see the world while we can.”
Currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the couple - who have been together for two-and-a-half years - have also visited Bangkok, Krabi, Ko Lanta and Ko Samui.
Stephen and fiancee Polly Botham
They still have plans to visit northern Thailand before heading to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Stephen added: "The beauty of this country is just outstanding - everywhere you turn is like paradise, you're just in awe of the scenery and the landscape.
"You never know when something like this is going to happen to you, and you never know when life is going to be taken away from you.
"One minute you're with your family watching a rugby match, the next minute you're in hospital.
"That can happen to anyone, so enjoy and savour every moment of what you have."
Stephen and Polly are documenting their trip on Youtube.
To watch videos from their adventure, click here.
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