Amputee’s inspiring battle to set world best

AFORMER blacksmith fitted with a Bristol-made ‘bionic’ arm is in training to set the world record for the most weight bench pressed with a prosthetic limb.

John Whitman, 41, lost his arm in a workplace accident in 2021. After having 36 operations to try to save it, the decision to amputate his arm below the elbow to save his life was made when he contracted sepsis.

Mr Whitman, who has a 19-yearold son and now works as an Argos sales assistant, said: “After the amputation I just felt lost. All the operations and pain just became who I was.

“It is such a big, life changing experience. It took a toll mentally and physically. It was very draining on not just myself but the family as well. Everything gets flipped upside down. But I was very fortunate to have the right sort of backing from my family. They have given me the drive to be more motivated than before because I have to try and push myself harder.

“Every day can be a challenge, but I take each day as it comes and try to embrace those obstacles.”

Mr Whitman is determined to regain independence after having a customised 3D printed prosthetic arm fitted earlier this year, the Hero Flex, created by Bristol firm Open Bionics.

He added: “When I was lying in my hospital bed, I looked up the different types of prosthetics you could have and what would be available to me at the time. I was offered an NHS prosthetic, which was great. But Open Bionic contacted me and invited me for an experience day where they gave me a presentation on what they offered.

“I was very fortunate, because they then offered me a six-month trial of the Hero Flex arm for free.

“I’m so impressed with it, it’s durability and how it functions. It’s lightweight and has given me flexibility in my lifestyle.

“It was a game changer. Getting outdoors and to the gym really felt like gaining a bit of the old me back, and gave my energy a positive outlet. I can do what I want in life and look cool at the same time.”

Mr Whitman, from Market Deeping, East Midlands, who owns 12 dogs, has since been able to explore new hobbies such as breeding Cavalier King Charles spaniels for dog shows around the world, from Crufts to the Boston and District Canine society championships.

Mr Whitman is now aiming to become the first person to lift the most weight in an hour while bench pressing with a prosthetic arm.

Similar previous records for single arm bench pressing include that achieved by Dariusz Slowik, who lifted 16,964.8 kg over the course of an hour in Bialogard, Poland on 14 November 2019, according to Guinness World Records.

Now weightlifting at the gym three to four days per week, Mr Whitman feels in better physical health than before his amputation.

He added: “To set the world record for weightlifting with an impairment would create such a positive outcome out of all the struggles I’ve endured in the past two years.

“The idea behind the weightlifting was to give myself a challenge and to see if I could complete such a task. I hope people see this and think, if that guy has done that could I try a small amount too? Can I pick up something with my own prosthetic or can I try and achieve something of that magnitude?”

Pic: Open Bionics/SWNS > John Whitman in hospital after losing his arm. Below, having been fitted with a ‘bionic’ arm by a firm in Bristol he is now aiming to set the world record for the most weight bench pressed with a prosthetic limb.