Last month when we were visiting our friends Wes and Ros in Inverness, Scotland, we met their friends, David and Mary. David, also called Davie No Legs, lost both of his legs in Afghanistan in an IED blast, when he was serving in the army. David is now a professional racing car driver with no legs! He doesn’t let the fact that he has no legs stop him from doing what he wants to do.
David really helped me. After my shark attack last year, I felt anxious and scared. I also really worried about my scar because it was so red and big. I worried what people would think about my scar. I worried because people would stare. I worried that if people saw it if I was in a restaurant, they would lose their appetite. I also worried that the tendons would ever be the same. I wondered if I would ever be able to use my thumb again.
My scar today, 10 months after the shark attack
David talked to me about his injury and his life. He told me that scars tell a story. My scar tells the story that I survived a shark attack. I’m a survivor. I’m alive. I still have my arm, and I could have lost it. I’m very lucky. I sometimes think that in an alternate universe, I died. That could have happened. So I’m very happy to be alive.
David told me to try and be happy and to focus on the positive. I’m alive. I still have my arm. I might not have my full ability, but I still have my life and my arm. After talking with David, I feel much more relaxed about my arm. I feel better about it. I don’t worry about it never being the same again. It won’t be the same again, but that’s ok. David made me feel happy to have my arm and my life.
My scar the day after the attack and surgery. The red things are drains. They got taken out a week later.
It’s been ten months since my shark attack. I’ve recently started getting nerve pain because my nerves are healing. I feel happy and sad about that. I feel happy that I have an arm and that my nerves are getting better. But I feel sad that it hurts now.
I’m also very happy to meet others who have survived from injuries. It helped me to meet Violet and Lucas, who are also shark attack survivors. It really helped me to meet David and when he talked to me, he was so inspiring because he lost both of his legs and is still following his dream to be a professional racing car driver. He made me feel very hopeful and inspired me to keep going, to keep focusing on the positive and to not think about the bad stuff. I have some PTSD about the shark attack. David also has PTSD from the war. He told me don’t give in to the scary thoughts, and I try to remember that. It helps me a lot.
My shark bite, this picture was taken by my surgeon
The shark attack impacted me and my outlook. I have a new appreciation for life. Every day I wake up and I feel blessed and just want to live in the moment and enjoy my life.
Thank you, David.
