A DOUBLE amputee is attempting to raise thousands of pounds for charity on an ambitious sailing adventure.
Paul Johnson lost both legs after suffering a severe electric shock as he took a shortcut across a railway line in Glasgow.
The 24-year-old fought for his life in intensive care then spent months in a burns unit and feared he would never be mobile again.
At first he was housebound in a wheelchair but after lengthy rehabilitation following the 2014 accident he has learned how to walk again with the use of prosthetics.
He is now preparing to take part in a voyage from Gran Canaria with the aim of raising £15,000 for the
charity Finding Your Feet. Founded by Corinne Hutton, who lost both hands and her legs below the knee after contracting septicaemia and acute pneumonia, the charity gives support to amputees and their families.
Johnson said: “My head was a bit messed up at the time [of the accident] so I was drinking quite a fair amount, and I was coming home late from a night out and tried to take a shortcut over train tracks.
“I don’t remember much from
then, but what I do remember is
waking up about two hours later with my legs on fire.
“I had to roll over, put the fire out and drag myself over to grab my bag and phone myself an ambulance.”
Once his family knew the full extent of his injuries they got in touch with Finding Your Feet and, with the charity’s help, he started playing
guitar again, took part in cookery and gardening classes and even passed his driving test.
“The charity were right on it and Corinne especially tried to help,” said Johnson. “She would call my brother and my aunties whenever she could to give support.
“I wasn’t able to get out my shell a lot in the first couple of years but they really helped me bring myself out and I started getting back into the world.
“We would go for lunches here and there and they do a drop-in centre which is just getting bigger and bigger, with a bunch of amputees getting together, sharing experiences and helping each other.”
Johnson is now preparing for his week-long trip at sea in January with the Jubilee Sailing Trust. If he succeeds, he hopes to attempt a longer sail to South Africa later next year.
“I couldn’t have imagined I’d be doing something like this,” he said. “I just wanted to walk, never mind set sail on a boat, so this is going to be absolutely incredible.”
Hutton hopes his story will encourage others. “Paul has been through so much, so when we had the chance to offer him something that would change his life for the better it was a no brainer,” she said.
“He has gone from being housebound in his wheelchair to walking on his prosthetics, and I can’t believe we’ll be seeing him at sea soon. I know he’ll do well. This kind of thing is what the charity is all about, and we hope Paul’s story will encourage others to challenge themselves.”
Donations to Johnson’s voyage can be made through his fundraising page: mydonate.bt.com/events/sealegs/
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