The goal of the NHS is to return an amputee to as near to their pre-operative functional status as possible. I decided to try and exceed my (admittedly low) baseline. So when I got my legs I tried a few things I had never really done before! This included running! https://video.wixstatic.com/video/18ae64_142842cb5c25466fa95c03ca999c8c0d/720p/mp4/file.mp4 ..read more

Drying socks, sleeves and liners became a huge problem when I got my legs. The NHS only provided me with two pairs of gel socks and these had to be cleaned daily. It was remarkably difficult to get them dry until I found this beauty! For £50 from Amazon I got a boot drier. With a slight modification (ping pong ball to round off the slightly spiky top) it is perfect for drying gel socks in about 2 hours. I am talking bone dry! The heat setting (40C) seems fine and I have not noticed any damage. If you are at all concerned about the heat then it also blows cold air. One of the best purchases tha ..read more

It’s fair to say that I’ve had a rough few weeks. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I recently had my 1 year ampuversary, whether the COVID situation is getting to me or something completely different. I try to stay upbeat as much as possible. I try to push myself... but I am increasingly getting tired. I went to the beach with the kids a few days ago. Evie, my 10 year old daughter, took her shoes off and went paddling in the sea. It started me off thinking about the sensation of sand between my toes and the cold of the sea on my feet. Sensations I will never have again. I then spiralled down ..read more

So..... I went to see my prosthetist on Thursday. In passing I mentioned that the heel on my left foot felt a little loose. My leg was taken to the workshop were it was found that I had destroyed my indestructible Rush foot!!! The base plate had come away from the curved "blade" part as a consequence of a failure of the glue in the forefoot. There were also early changes in my right foot! My feet were taken away to be sent back to the manufacturer for inspection. In order that I had something to walk around on I was fitted with SACH (Solid ankle cushioned heel) feet - the most basic of prosth ..read more

Earlier this year I discovered that ESA had created a pioneering programme to find a disabled astronaut - the Parastronaut Recruitment Scheme. The paper work was not exactly straightforward- but I completed it and submitted it over the internet… Even though I met the criteria, I was pretty sure that submitting the paperwork was going to be as close as I got to getting to space…. that was until last Thursday! I received an email to say I had made it through to the next stage - and this involves a trip to the Astronaut Training facility in Hamburg for further assessment… I don’t need project Art ..read more

Just before Christmas I packed my overnight bag and set off to Bristol for a flight to Hamburg. I was to attend the Deutches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) or German Aerospace Centre for the next round of astronaut selection. But, Omicron had different plans for me - for, as I waited in the hotel in Bristol, Germany closed its borders to the UK in response to the high rates of the novel infection here. My trip was postponed. My initial worry was allayed by reassuring emails from ESA and a new plan to reschedule my trip. I was still in the game! So far, selection has been based on CV and ..read more

The most difficult part of my current situation is knowing my place in the world. Two-and-a-half years ago I was plucked off the chessboard and put down on a different square. Everything changed. My body changed and my mind changed. The way I looked at myself and the way others looked at me drastically altered overnight. Without warning I had become something else... I'm now meant to be "disabled" but I really don't feel that label fits me. Is it internalised ableism? Is it me not being able to face the truth? Or, because I function reasonably well on prosthetics, am I simply just not disabled ..read more

I’m sat here in my car overlooking Porthtowan. I needed to get out as it’s fair to say the feelings I’ve had today have been overwhelming. Usually I can put my situation to the back of my mind, but on the eve of my third ampuversary I’ve not been able to think about much else other than what I have lost and the effect this has had on my family. I can look back over the past few years and see some positives. I’ve had many adventures since losing my feet - but I can’t help thinking what could’ve been. I‘d give anything to go back to being “me” and lose the inconvenience and the anger. It‘s so ha ..read more

Sooo... a rather up and down month... The down - I ended up doing a rather long and unexpected operation one Sunday. The operation, I'm pleased to say went well, but when I got a blister on my leg which has taken the best part of 6 weeks to heal! Needless to say my training schedule has gone out of the window. Now that I am back on my legs I am actually struggling to walk. Its going to take a long time to get back to fitness! I've also had a busy media few weeks - I ended up chatting on the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 - which went OK. I'd love to chat more about the changes and improvements I ..read more

So the last few weeks have been quite a whirlwind. It all began when I agreed to do a small piece for BBC Radio Cornwall. Before I knew it I had been talked into doing a short documentary piece for Inside Out South West. I met with Jemma Woodman (Producer and presenter) and we came up with a plan to highlight the poor care that amputees receive post operatively. Before I knew it I was being filmed over 3 days as I returned to work. I got the chance to chat with some of my old patients. Despite my initial reticence I actually really enjoyed the experience! Jemma put together a really nice peace ..read more