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…
Three Years Of Being The HopScot
Back in 2020 when my first post was published, I thought that I would be able to keep this up for probably around six months, maybe a year at a push. As this post proves however, The HopScot is still very much around and I like to think that in the last three years it…
Suns Out, Stumps Out!
In heat like this, it becomes a struggle to stay comfortable wearing the prostheses, especially considering that this kind of weather encourages people to be more active and spend time outside.
7 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Being An Amputee
What’s happening to all my door frames? Do I need to start wearing different underwear?
Once I was let out into the big wide world it became clear that there were a number of unexpected (and often ridiculously simple) issues that I would now be needing to consider.
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…
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…
A Decade of Hoppiness
Last Sunday, the 20th of November 2022, was the ten year anniversary of my amputation. Although, if I’m being honest, I was asleep for five days after it happened, which means I haven’t technically lived with being an amputee for ten years until the 25th. So, you know, I guess you can put the title…
Hobbies of an Amputee: The Stage and The Stump
The inspiration behind writing this post does not come from wanting anybody to feel sorry for me, or to receive any compliments. It’s about trying to give an indication of the choices that people in my situation need to make when it comes to pursuing the things they enjoy…
Some Good News.
2021 was dominated by the stress of being apart from my wife for 14 months. So, with that in mind, it is an absolute pleasure to be able to kick off the new year on this blog by sharing some extremely good news…
British Heart Foundation: The Ticker Tapes Podcast
A couple of months ago I was asked by the British Heart Foundation to have a chat about some of my story in an episode of their podcast series “The Ticker Tapes”.
A Year Of Being The HopScot
I love writing these posts but more so than that, I love the interactions that have come from sharing them online. The connections I have made with such a wide range of different people over this last year go far beyond…
7 Things I Didn’t Have To Think About Before I Became An Amputee
Many of you reading this will know that I wasn’t always an amputee and if you didn’t know, well now you do. In fact, for seventeen years, three months and nine days (not that I’ve ever counted it), I was a perfectly healthy biped with nothing more to worry about than a scraped knee, a…
7 Things We Wish People Knew About Life With A Heart Condition.
I am part of a group set up by the British Heart Foundation and a couple of weeks ago I posed the question; What, as young adults, would we like others to understand about living with a heart condition? There were a number of interesting and varied responses…
Adios 2020!
Well, this last year is going to be one for the history books. Preferably the first books to be burned when Brexit turns us into a Ray Bradbury style dystopia. I could ponder the fact that I’ve never experienced anything like this year but given that I’m only 25, that isn’t a huge amount of…
This Is Halloween
Many full moons ago, when my sister and I were both no more than knee high to a grasshopper mum would, on the first of November every year, begin to prepare for the following years Halloween party…
Why I Haven’t Posted In So Long
First things first, I swear to you all that my blog is still alive. I know that it is quite common for people to start one up, be heavily invested in it for a few months and then just let it die. I have no intentions of doing this…
Ticking Along Nicely: British Heart Foundation Events for Young(er) People
Did you know that medical research isn’t the only service that the BHF provides to help people with heart conditions? They also organise, host and fund events that allow young people with our conditions to come together from all over the country. Offering the opportunity to…
The Tale of Argo
From the rescue to his final flight, here is the full story of our little feathery friend…
What’s Happening With The Old Ticker?
I have talked in my first post about losing my leg during open heart surgery, and also mentioned my condition on the page where I talk about who I am. However, I haven’t really done much to explain about it other than…