Permanently upbeat and smiling Fijian. Played Rugby for the Army and a considerable athlete until, on his second tour of Afghanistan, he was blown up in 2007. He was on routine patrol clearing a helipad when his Land Rover reversed onto a mine packed with nails, scrap metal and ball bearings. Derek was thrown 30 mtrs. He never lost consciousness and attempted to stand up only to find that, on top of all his missing teeth, his spinal injury, his multiple cuts and bruises, he has lost both legs. His breathing was rapidly deteriorating and that was when he realised he was dying. "I offered up a prayer there and then that if I was allowed to live I would dedicate the rest of my life to inspiring others in the same boat as me". Despite the prayer he was pronounced dead at Camp Bastion and was being cleaned up prior to being put in a body bag and sent home. Another one for Wotton Bassett. Then he twitched and instead the medics worked frantically to bring him back to life. He woke up in Selly Oak after eight days in a coma. Now he sprints most days on his metal legs, has completed 650 miles in seven days in a hand bike (hands pedalling) and is determined to win the discus and shotput events in next year's Paralympics. He has been true to his prayer and tours the UK telling his story to schools, colleges and cadet forces.
Tags: interview, human, nonprofit, charity, new
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