Finding Light Through Broken Decks
Nick Harding, a lifelong skateboarder from the UK, arrived at the hospital with a sore hamstring—something not unusual for an active skater. However, within hours, his life took a drastic turn.
He went from experiencing minor leg pain to facing paralysis. The cause? Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune condition that affects approximately one in every 100,000 people. He had no warning signs, no prior history, and no understanding of what was happening to him.
This led to a 13-week stay in intensive care, months on a ventilator, and a challenging seven-month journey to regain the ability to move again. Doctors warned him that he might never walk again, but Nick was determined that this experience would not define him.
A Skateboarder’s Soul, Redirected
For Nick, skating wasn’t just a hobby—it was an identity. It shaped how he moved, thought, and even breathed. But after GBS robbed him of his physical strength, he had to find a new way to express his passion.
He began experimenting with his old skateboard decks—not to ride, but to reshape. At first, he tried crafting practical objects. But with trembling hands and recovering limbs, precision was difficult.
So instead of utility, he turned to beauty. His boards, once destined for tricks and wear, became abstract wooden sculptures full of curves, color, and movement.
“I started trying to make practical objects but, because I was so weak and wobbly, I just couldn’t do it,” he shared. “So I decided to make something beautiful instead.”
Emerging As Mobius Maples
With no formal training in woodworking, Nick learned from YouTube. His hands—once motionless—now shaped art. He adopted the creative name Mobius Maples and began sculpting bold, psychedelic forms from recycled skateboard decks.
The swirling shapes, layered colors, and bent wood echoed the flowing rhythm of skating. “The lines and curves are what I like doing—it was the process that felt good when I was at my lowest,” Nick explained.
Soon, his art caught attention. He opened a shop on Etsy. Orders came from across the globe. The work became therapy, expression, and livelihood all at once.
Community Woven With Creativity
Nick’s journey has never been a solo ride. Fellow skaters from Bristol and beyond began donating their used decks. He didn’t ask—they offered. And their support fueled his creativity and strengthened his will.
“It wouldn’t be anything if it was just me,” Nick said. “It’s also people who give me their old boards—interacting with the art and letting me be involved with things is what’s kept it going.”
He gives back too. His sculptures have been donated to charities, skating competitions, and even hidden around the city for others to discover—small gifts for those who follow his journey on Instagram.
His art is rooted not just in recovery, but in community. The decks may be broken, but they carry the spirit of every skater who ever rode them.
Perspectives From the World
What began as a deeply personal recovery story has reached people around the world. The BBC highlighted Nick’s story in April 2025, calling attention to the way he turned adversity into art. On Reddit, hundreds responded to photos of his work with admiration and gratitude.
“You’re a true inspiration,” one commenter wrote. Another said, “This is what art is all about—healing, passion, and sharing.”
Organizations like Inflammatory Neuropathies UK have praised his work for its therapeutic value, noting how powerful creativity can be in the wake of medical trauma.
Healing Through Making
Guillain-Barré syndrome strikes without warning, often following a mild infection. It causes the immune system to attack the nervous system, leading to numbness, nerve pain, and—rarely—full-body paralysis.
For Nick, the condition took away his ability to move, but through art, he found a path to healing. Sculpting became more than a hobby. It became a daily form of rehabilitation—strengthening his fingers, calming his mind, and reconnecting his body with purpose.
“Having an outlet for that desire to play with my favourite toy is what brought the sculptures about,” he explained.
Life After Despair
Today, Nick is walking again. Not without effort, but with immense progress. He stands in his workshop surrounded by tools, boards, and brilliant sculptures. What once looked like defeat has become a different kind of freedom.
Each sculpture is a testament—not just to his recovery, but to his resilience. What could have been a story about loss is now one about transformation.
There are still difficult days. But through his work, he’s learned that even broken things can become beautiful.
The Ripple Effect
The ripple of Nick’s story extends far beyond art. It shows how creativity can pull someone back from the brink. It proves how a community can be the scaffolding when everything else falls apart.
His Instagram followers leave messages of thanks. His Etsy customers share how his pieces inspire them. Fellow skaters look at their worn-out boards and wonder what more they could become.
This isn’t just a recovery. It’s a reimagining of life—and proof that purpose can be carved from pain.
Conclusion: Art Reinvented, Lives Reshaped
In a quiet corner of his workshop, Nick picks up another worn skateboard deck. He traces the chips and cracks with his fingers. These flaws no longer signal the end of the ride—they’re the beginning of something else.
His story is not only about illness and recovery. It’s about transformation, community, and the belief that even when life flips upside down, something meaningful can emerge.
From the remnants of broken boards, Nick Harding has built something extraordinary—an artform that turns adversity into beauty, and a life that inspires others to do the same.
