I genuinely believe my life is better than it would’ve been if I hadn’t been blown up.. I’ve achieved so much post-injury
– DEAN ON N A NEW CAREER HELPING WOUNDED COMRADES
Paratrooper Dean Middleton has no memory of the Christmas that changed his life – a horrific roadside bomb blast that should have killed him.
He was on patrol in Afghanistan on December 21, 2010, when his tank struck an IED. The blast threw Dean into the air, and he landed on his head, shattering his armoured helmet, fracturing his skull and inflicting a terrible brain injury.
And although the injury ended 34-year-old Dean’s dream military career he now uses his experience to help soldiers rebuild their lives.
He explains: “I genuinely believe my life is better than it would’ve been if I hadn’t been blown up,
“You have to have a positive mental attitude and believe your glass is half full. Recovering from my injury wasn’t easy and I had to work at it, but I have achieved so much.”
And thanks to his injury Dean, from
Seaham, Co Durham, got together with his wife. “I knew Jade when I was younger” he says. “She’d qualified as a nurse and came to see how I was.”
They have now been married for four years and have a two-year-old son, Max.
Dean continues: “When it gets to this time of year it makes me think of how fortunate I am. My wife’s birthday is on December 21 – the same day as my ‘bangiversary’ – so it is a double celebration.”
Jade, 33, was by his side when Dean first walked through the doors of the Help for Heroes Phoenix House recovery centre at Catterick Garrison.
The centre provides vital help and support to sick or wounded soldiers and veterans and their families.
For many it is a lifeline to get back on track after suffering physical injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Coronation Street star Antony Cotton is a patron for Help for Heroes and says Dean is a prime example of how the charity can help injured veterans rebuild.
Antony says: “I first met Dean in this very gym. He didn’t say much, it was right at the beginning of his recovery. But over the years I have seen immense changes in Deano, not only by being a beneficiary of the services of Help for Heroes, but through now working here.
“So when people ask ‘does Help for Heroes work? Do these recovery centres work?’ Well, Dean is a shining example of someone who has gone from suffering a devastating injury to helping others. Everything he built his dreams on was gone in an instant.
“I saw him grow in confidence and become a different version of himself. He is happy and content. That’s what you hope for everybody who comes through these doors.”
Dean, a heavy weapons expert in 2 Para, was in a Jackal armoured vehicle when it hit the IED. Signaller Corporal Steve Dunn died instantly, the driver broke his wrist while the commander was unhurt.
You have to have a positive mental attitude and believe that your glass is half full
DEAN MIDDLETON ON RECOVERY AFTER BEING BLOWN UP