Military amputee bouncing back with his love of sport
FIGHT WITH DEPRESSION REPLACED BY BATTLE FOR MEDALS
Reporter EX-SOLDIER Gaz Golightly has gained an army of supporters since having part of his right leg amputated.
And after picking himself up from the depths of depression, he is showing others his inner and outer strength.
After raising cash for other injured colleagues who have been through similar incidents as him, he has focused on his sport and brought back a host of medals from games across the world.
His dedication has impressed his supporters and most of all his wife, Denise, and children Clarissa, seven, Brianna, six, and Jason, three, and new addition 10-week-old Darius.
Now his proud family have nominated him for the Chronicle Champions award in the Armed Forces Champion Section.
And Denise, 32, says he deserves our award as he is their true hero.
“After his accident he was about to roll over and die but he managed to turn himself around and he never gave up,” she said.
“He’s come so far and he’s represented his country, brought back medals and made us very proud. He’s inspirational.”
Gaz, 36, of Longbenton, North Tyneside, was involved in a horrific hit-and-run while driving back to his barracks in 2002.
He had to have his right leg amputated above the knee, while his left leg suffered severe nerve damage.
The accident ended the career he loved in the forces and he withdrew from society.
But after finding sport and being supported by the charity Help for Heroes, Gaz, who played for the Newcastle Eagles wheelchair basketball team, was determined to become a winner.
And last year he brought home a silver medal for representing his country in the wheelchair basketball at the Invictus Games in Florida, USA – despite breaking his ‘good leg’ months before.
Gaz also came seventh in handcycling and 11th in archery but it was touch-and-go if he could compete after breaking his leg on Christmas Day after slipping on the kitchen floor.
He also scooped two bronze medals at the 2015 Warrior Games in the hand cycling and the 200m track and wheelchair race, as well as reaching the basketball quarter-finals.
He also won a gold medal for basketball at the 2014 Invictus Games, and a silver medal at the Warrior Games trials held in Nevada, USA, in 2015.
There, he also won a silver medal in the archery team event and a gold in the 10km hand cycle road race.
This year Gaz won a gold and three silver medals for wheelchair racing in the Tartan Games.
And the courageous dad is now planning on trying the discus, javelin and track as well as aiming to represent GB in the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020.
He has also raised more than £1,000 to share between Help for Heroes and North East military