I remember just waking up in hospital, covered in pipes and tubes. When I think about it now I'm just glad to be around. Such is John Whitaker's memory of the brain haemorrhage which almost cost him his life. It wasn't the result of a fall. Equestrianism has tragically claimed its share of lives in recent years, but John collapsed in the mundane surroundings of a Stockholm hotel room.
Doctors say it was probably something which was always going to happen.
As he lay first in intensive care and then on an artificial respirator, the showjumping world prayed for a recovery. But John stayed positive. All I wanted to do was get to Olympia. That was all I was worried about, getting to Olympia. In the end he's had to wait a little longer than the sport's traditional Christmas extravaganza for his comeback.