Face to face: Patient and carer

As part of the BBC's Who Runs Your World? season, we are examining the relationships between people who rely on each other. Here, we hear from a patient and carer.

Timmy Kaye is 32 years old and lives near Bournemouth in the south of the UK. He has a broken neck and is severely disabled.

Mr Kaye suffered his injuries in a fight while watching the 1998 World Cup

At the moment I have to have my carers 24 hours a day just to assist me in basically everything I do, from brushing my hair, brushing my teeth, washing me, to get me something to eat, get me something to drink.

So I have to rely on carers to do everything for me.

When I was 24, in 1998, I went to meet some people down at the pub to watch the football - England against Tunisia in the World Cup - and three-quarters of the way through it, all of a sudden, a guy approached me, saying that he wanted to start some trouble with me.

We started fighting and then I was chucked in the corner and completely done over by about four or five people.

Then, all of a sudden, someone said "Get him out of the pub," so it got taken out into the car park of the pub and they started on me again; they were jumping on me, kicking me, hitting me from all directions, basically.

I went to get up and I walked about six feet (1.8m) and felt my body go all numb and then just fell straight on my face.

Unfortunately, some people who were there were sort of helping me out, and moved me, not thinking of what kind of damage could have been caused.

Then I was taken to hospital. My injuries happened to turn out to be a spinal injury.

The actual cord is not severed, which is very horrific, because you feel a lot of pain coming back through your body. And from then from there on, it's just been "get on and deal with it".

It's good to know that you've got close people looking after you, who you get to know, otherwise you don't know who's going to come through the door the next time and you never know what you're going to get treated like.

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Sometimes I've had carers that have come in in the morning and they've still been drunk from the night before; in no fit state to be working for me. I'm not having anyone in working for me and looking after me in that condition.

Before my accident, I was actually a manager working with my father in the family business, doing very well for myself. I had everything that I wanted and I worked for it quite hard, and it took me years to get there - and this happens to me and basically takes all of my dreams away from me.

My world is run by carers because I can't do anything without them.

There's just no way of me possibly moving from my own home - I can't even move from my own bed without having Jema in or the carers.

I'm meant to have 24-hour care, but at the moment the system doesn't allow me, because I hire and fire my own carers, rather than doing it through the social services, which means that they will not fund enough money to have the full 24-hour care.

So, realistically, I have to spend a little bit of time on my own - which could really be that moment when I could crucially need someone.

Your relationship with your carer is just full-on.

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Jema is one Timmy's carers. She deals with his personal care.

One of the things I have to do for Timmy is, when he's sat in his wheelchair, I have to pull his "man bits" out from between his legs, because obviously he can't do it.

So, it's not a job I like but I have to do it, really.

It's important to be good friends, because if we didn't get on, then we just wouldn't cope

Timmy's a bit bossy, because he's very particular!

You've always got your eyes open and your ears open when he's around, listening for his wheelchair. You've got to make sure you look very busy, not just busy!

So, Tim rules my world.

In the mornings when I walk in, I see what mood he's in - and therefore whether it's going to be a good day or a bad day. Normally, if he's awake and he gets up alright in the morning, I know I'm going to have a good day.

I do enjoy working here. It's completely different from my last job, working with children.

I've always been interested in care work - all the jobs I've done in the past are to do with caring. I'm not the only person that takes care of Timmy, he's got many carers.

I deal with Timmy's personal care. When he's up I just get on and generally tidy up the house. There are five dogs to look after and feed, and he's got lizards, geckos, parrots. It's like a zoo.

It's important to be good friends, because if we didn't get on, then we just wouldn't cope. I wouldn't be able to work full time.