street roots
Nov. 21, 2014
Sergeant Rick Clement
In 2010, On his first tour in Afghanistan
Rick lost both legs in an IED explosion, one
up to the hip, the other amputated high up.
Clement, now 30, needed massive •
reconstructive surgery to his arm, genitals
and intestines.
“At Headley Court, things changed
massively. My goals all related to
independence, learning how to drive again
and cook. I probably do more now than any
of my mates who aren’t in wheelchairs. Ive
just got a hand cycle so I m going to s
training on that. Day-to-day I’ve adapted
well. I clean my house, I’ve got three dogs
¿J
to look after, I cook, I can chuck the
wheelchair in the car myself. I’ve started
ray'own charity, to give back to charities
that helped me b u t”
“Now that my health is back, the most
important thing is to sort out ray sexual
function. My genitals are still bemg
reconstructed, and I was originally told I
definitely couldn’t have kids. But
developments have happened recently, and
the doctors think maybe there’s a chance I
could have them. It’s not that important to
me right now, but in the future it could
become the most important thing in die
world.”
Corporal Simon Brown
O nhis second tour of Iraq in
December 2006 CorporalSimon Brown
was shot through the head by
insurgents. As he got into his vehicle, a
bullet hit his left cheek, went through
his nose and came out of his right
cheek. He held his palate up with his
thumb to breathe and tried to bandage
his own face. When he was told the
extent of his injuries by doctors at Selly
Oak - blind in his left eye, with 20
percent sight in the right, and needing
massive facial reconstructive surgery -
he began to have suicidal thoughts, and
considered taking an overdose. But
news of friends who had died started to
turn him around, and he started to look
at how he might live in the future. A s of
May 2013 Corporal Brown had had 14
operations with more to come.
There were many huge steps: making
a cup of tea himself, going for a few
pints with old rugby teammates,
moving into accommodation on his
own, getting a cat to take care oi,
gaining a college qualification and
volunteering to work with
disadvantaged children.
“Then this opportunity came along
with the organization that I work for
now, Blind Veterans UK. They wanted
me to go and speak to people to try and
convince them that it was a good idea
to get some rehab off my organization. I
found I was quite good at that, as I’ve
rebuilt my life in under six years. And if
I can do it, anyone can do i t
“I feel that every time I get up and
go to work, I am doing something good
again with my life. It’s a funny thing
because I lost my career in the Army
and I thought everything was over. But
I look back at the last six and a half
years and I think I’m probably a better
person now than I was before I got
injured, because of the opportunities
I’ve had, the things I’ve done, the
people I’ve helped and what I’m
actually doing with my life now.”
11
P H O T O BY B RYAN
streel Roots is a member of the International Network of Street Papers, www.street-papers.
org. Reprinted from The Big Issue UK.