Out of the blue, I received an email this afternoon (thanks Tam) about a friend from university, Kingsley Ward. Kingsley completed his training for the British army in 2008 and deployed for Afghanistan in 2009. One month before he was due to return from combat, he stood on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and as a result, lost both legs, his right arm and most of his left forearm.
One would have thought that this type of trauma would be enough to turn anyone from a fighter into a bed-ridden victim (goodness only knows I would have struggled to face every day if it was me). But Kingsley thought nothing of the sort. It was always his dream to be make his country proud and DAMN is he doing that! Not only does Kingsley partake in all sports on his prosthetic limbs, he has also managed to ski down some of the toughest slopes, swim in triathons and is currently trianing for Ironman next year.
I have a lump in my throat as I write this. I feel so weak and for almost giving up on my dream, when here is a young man whose life did a complete 360 in a matter of seconds, and still he gets up every day and lives his dream. I am humbled to the point of tears.
Kingsley Ward, thank you for reminding me of the sacrifices we have to make to follow our dreams - even if those sacrifices are something we never prepared for or even imagined. You have proved that anything can be accomplished if we continue to focus on the dream. You are a true hero.
For more information on Kingsley and his incredible accomplishments, have a look at the following:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/01/02/limbless-soldiers-take-to-the-ski-slopes-115875-22820623/
and
http://www.truespirit.org.uk/the%20team/wardkingsley.html
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| 25 year old Kingsley, flying down the slopes in Colorado |
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