3 years on pt2

Since leaving Queen Mary’s a lot has happened.

The feet that I have been given is absolutely amazing. It works in the same way that a running blade does, just on a smaller scale. It is good for everyday use but it is also good for running. Using them is great as you can really smoothly get the heel to toe action you need for walking comfortably.

I have learnt to use my prosthetics pretty competently, although I have tripped a few times. I have covered a lot of different types of terrain too. I have walked quite a bit through the woods with little problem, only becomes an issues when the ground is wet and soft but it is still easily navigated. I have been to sand and pebble beaches. Sand wasn’t too much of an issue, even when getting to the edge of the water. Pebble beaches are only a problem when going uphill, I have to really dig my feet into the pebbles with each step so I don’t slip back down. Snow is fine, although ice is a nightmare. I think overall I am confident enough with most surfaces, but slopes and stairs are the worst. I find that stairs hurt my stumps very quickly and slopes are just difficult to walk on when you don’t have a proper ankle. I have to walk on the tips of my foot which make me very unstable.

I learnt to drive! Which has been incredible. It has helped so much as it means that I am now able to travel much easier and more comfortably. I drive an automatic with a steering wheel ball and a push/pull lever. It is all easy to use, the only issue I have is that I find that with longer journeys my legs can become quite uncomfortable and irritated so I have to take my legs off, which was an odd experience at first.

I think the biggest thing to have happened, other than the amputation itself, is the birth of our 3^rd child. We now have a son, called Jesse. He is an amazing, clever, affectionate, cuddly beast of a baby. He keeps us on our toes. He is obsessed with my prosthetics, if I have them off he will try to run off with them so he can shout into them. Otherwise he will settle with my liners or stump socks, which is frustrating when he does as I can’t really chase him and by the time I get to him he has ditched them somewhere. Also a year after my amputation, Lauren and me renewed our wedding vows…which yes was only a few years after we got married but for us it signified the start of our new, better lives together. It was also a celebration for the fact that we have gotten to the where we were at the time. It was an awesome night, full of vibrant rainbow colours and Lego.

Something that I really wanted to get back into was cycling. I used to cycle a lot before my amputation and I was hoping that I would still be able to carry it on post amputation. Which I have, I learnt to ride a bike again. I was extremely nervous to try it, I had had some practise on an exercise bike but being on an actual bike I was very unstable. It was difficult at first to get my balance, but I got there. I loved it, it was amazing to be back on a bike.

With cycling worked out, next on my list was running. I had tried to jog a few times and it sort of worked but I wanted to get the most out of my prosthetics so I went to my physio. I spent about 8 sessions with her doing core and balance exercises. Then we got onto running technique, what I had previously been doing was a little dangerous. As I ran my foot was crossing behind the other and I was constantly nearly tripping myself up. Using the new technique, which I can only describe as being a cycling motion, took a while to get used to but once I got the hang of it it made such a difference. I am lighter on my feet, faster and have a slight spring in my step. This was fantastic, my goal for 2017 was to do a local event called the Santa Dash. It’s a 2km run with everyone dressed as Santa, I have done it in previous years but only walked. 2017 though, Nellie and Me trained most days in the weeks leading up to the event. We got to the point where we were comfortably running the 2km, fucking awesome! And we fucking smashed it. I’m so proud of her she was amazing, and I am so glad that she ran with me.

My next hope is to give inline skating a go, again it is something that I did pre amputation so it will be interesting to see if I can do it now.

Thanks to Lauren, I have taken up Archery. It is now one of my favourite hobbies, I have learnt to use a variety of bows but I have settled with a barebow recurve bow. It is a great sport and I have found it an amazing place to escape for a bit if I am feeling crappy.

My legs got me a part in a short film. It was an incredible experience and the film has (at the time of writing) been shown at 10 film festivals and has won 3 awards. I was invited to a screening of it at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival, and it was an amazing day. Getting to see myself on a cinema screen, with other people watching also, was an extremely surreal experience but also pretty awesome. It is something that I am hoping to do more of in the future.

So yeah, its been and interesting few years. I am hoping to update this blog a bit more regularly. I have a few things in the next year that I am aiming for, the next being a hike up Mt Snowdon. So I will probably do a few posts on how training for that is going.