Soldier who survived 40 blast injuries hopes to walk again after surgery
A SOLDIER considered one of the most badly injured ever to survive his wounds in Afghanistan has undergone a seven-hour operation he hopes will let him walk again.
Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson was not expected to survive around 40 different injuries, including brain damage and losing both his legs, when his Land Rover hit an anti-tank mine in Helmand in 2006.
The former paratrooper astounded doctors first with his survival and later with a slow but determined improvement which has seen him able to walk short distances on crutches.
More than 30,000 people turned out to watch him carry the Olympic Torch through his home town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in 2012.
L/bdr Parkinson has now undergone a seven-hour operation, filmed for the BBC’S Inside Out programme, to help straighten his spine in a bid to improve his chances of walking again.
He had an operation eight years ago to install screws and two rods in his back, but his spine has curved below the rods. The curve has affected his walking and, for the first time in a year, he has been complaining of pain, his family said. The latest operation involved surgeons putting new screws in at the bottom of his back and then adding length to the original rods.
Before the surgery, he said: “I am excited, it’s been over 10 years that I have been waiting for it. My walking is going a lot, lot better but I need this operation for it to progress. I am confident this operation will make a big difference. It will definitely make a difference in some way.”
His mother said it “means everything” to her son. She added: “There are good medical reasons why it needs to happen but for Ben it’s all about the walking.”
Speaking after surgery, L/bdr Parkinson said he was very happy, though in pain.
One of his surgeons, Alex Baker, said: “So far it’s looking pretty good. It’s looking fairly well-balanced. We’re very happy with the X-rays and how it all looks.” L/bdr Parkinson, who was serving with 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery when he was injured, will need further operations, according to his stepfather, Andy Dernie. He said: “The next ones won’t be as scary, but this one was a scary one.
“We’re glad it’s over and we’re fairly sure that it’s been an absolute 100 per cent success.”
L/bdr Parkinson has been told he will need round-the-clock help for the rest of his life.
The Ministry of Defence and NHS agreed to review his care in August after his family accused them of failing to look after him properly. The family called in lawyers and threatened legal action after complaining the authorities were failing to meet his needs or coordinate the different types of care that he required. Despite his injuries, L/bdr Parkinson has been able to undertake charity work and in 2013 was given an MBE. Awarding the honour at Buckingham Palace, the Prince of Wales called the soldier “an inspiration”.