What’s your name, how old are you? My names Rob, I’m 41 years old from Poole, Dorset.
Who lives with you and how old are they? I’m married with 2 children, my wife Carla is 37, son Ollie is 14 and youngest son Harry is 9, we also have 2 dogs ozzie and lexi and 2 cats waffle and Potter.
Tell us a little bit about them what are their favourite hobbies? My wife is a teacher in a primary school, Harry is cricket Mad and plays both district and county cricket for Dorset and Ollie loves to skateboard
When did you become an amputee? I became an amputee in March 2018 after the NHS refused my amputation due to funding, I crowdfunded the £15k to have it done privately after 2 tumours and snapping my femur in half.
Have you got a name for your “stump”? My stumps name is Victor after Victor meldrew as my stump moaned a lot after I had my amputation and like Victor meldrew it was miserable 
so It was the perfect name.
What was the biggest concern of being an amputee? My biggest resevation was if I would be able to play cricket again, thankfully with my positive mind I was able to overcome this quickly and I was back on the pitch after 10 weeks!
Were you able to work as an amputee? How do you spend your days? I went back to work around 6 months after my amputation but lost my job so in Sept 2019 I took the decision to set up my own business and I now own and run a mobile disco company called party animal discos, its still in its infancy but the signs are good and getting a lot of enquiries for children’s parties, weddings etc.
What’s been the biggest challenge you have had to overcome and how did you overcome it? To be honest the biggest challenge was hopping on one leg, I’m now a master at this. I see a lot of other amputees and people with other disabilities struggle and I’ve made it my mission in life to show them what a positive mind can do. I wouldn’t have achieved half of the things I’ve done if my mind wasn’t as positive as it is.
Since my amputation I’ve – Earnt 11 caps for England disability Cricket team. ,I’ve appeared on the BBC tv show casualty, I’m also an amputee boxer with the WBC and I have massive plans for the future with this fantastic sport. I’ve also been nominated for the national diversity awards 2020 in the disability category for positive role model.
What’s your family’s favourite thing to do? We all love to play cricket, my wife is also a cricketer and plays for the ladies team at our cricket club.
Have you got any funny memories that have happened since your amputation? About 2 weeks after my amputation we went to Portsmouth naval base and while we were there we saw a climbing wall, I nudged my wife and said I should have a go, a lady behind me said that I wouldn’t get a foot off the floor, I hopped over to the man running it and asked if I can have a go, he had no issues with this so I strapped myself in and climbed the wall to the top and absailed my way down, as I turn round 200 people were watching and applauding, I turned to the woman, blew her a kiss and she turned around and ran. I was in hysterics.
When did you come across Steel Bones? What does Steel Bones do for your family? I’ve known about steel bones since before my amputation, they are always there for help and advice and it’s like having a family who are always willing to listen and advise.
What would you most like to achieve? Small or big is there one thing you hope to accomplish? There is so much I want to achieve but the main things are showing people that having a disability doesn’t mean its the end of the world, it’s just a different path you are on, embrace it and cease the day. Secondly I would love to win the national diversity award, I’m not sure who nominated me but who ever it was I can’t thank them enough and I will make them proud. I also want to raise as much money as possible for the youth cancer Trust, I’m boxing in a show on 28th march for the charity and I have a goal of raising £750 for them. I also want to help others get in to this amazing sport and help it get to the paralympics.
Lastly I would like to say that having a positive mind is the single biggest thing a new amputee can have, with this you can achieve anything.
Recent Comments