Saying goodbye to the various nurses, doctors and other hospital staff who had spent the last few months looking after me was actually quite emotional. Perhaps because of the small team that worked in the unit I had been kept in, we had all gotten to know each other very well.
Tag Archives: Stories
How I Lost My Leg: The Forest Fire
During the summer of my eighteenth year, we were experiencing an uncharacteristically hot spell. A group of us had just left the shop after buying cold drinks and a box of ice lollies. We planned to make our way into the woods to a nearby picnic site. It wasn’t secret per se but it also wasn’t obviously marked in any way so you could usually guarantee it wouldn’t be full.
As we trekked through the woods a groaning sound suddenly erupted from the back of the group…
BA 12: What We Did In The Shadows
I walked into the ward they had assigned me for my first day and stuck my head into the office, asking if anyone knew the whereabouts of the doctor I was due to be shadowing. A nurse led me quickly to a room near the far end of the ward.
The doctor looked like a deer in the headlights…
How I Lost My Leg: The Cabin in the Woods
I spent a good deal of my childhood wandering around the forests that surrounded my home in the Highlands of Scotland. Every weekend I would grab an old video camera and head out into the wilderness with a group of school friends where we could make short films about whatever was on our minds that day…
Have You Ever? Upper Limb Edition
Over the course of writing these posts I have been asked a number of questions about being an upper limb amputee.
I decided to pose the questions to an amputee group over on Reddit and was delighted to have not one but two people get in touch…
Have You Ever? Part 7
How do you maintain and keep them (prostheses) clean?
Has having one leg provided an opportunity that otherwise would not have come about?
Do you name your legs?
How I Lost My Leg: The Shark Wrestler
Back in 2012 I travelled to a small island in the Caribbean Sea, which must remain nameless, for the Annual Shark Wrestling World Championship…
Have You Ever? Part 6
Can you hammer nails with it?
I can tell you from experience that you absolutely can use them to hammer in nails. If however you plan to do so then make sure…
Have You Ever? Part 5
Are you looking forward to medical advancements related to lost limbs?
Do they rust, get clicky or squeaky?
Would you consider loading it with gadgets and making some kind of Swiss army leg?
Have You Ever? Part 4
Are there any unexpected benefits to having a prosthetic leg?
When asked how you lost your leg, do you tell the truth or come up with some wild story?
Have you ever smuggled anything in it?