THE Aaron Lewis Foundation has helped a Royal Marine paralysed on a training exercise to get out and about more around his home.
Matt Drake, 36, had been using a handbike but found the hills in his local area too exerting when combined with his injuries.
The ALF has now helped him to purchase a hybrid handbike – allowing a little extra help on those steep inclines.
Dad-of-two Matt said: “I’m very pleased with the hybrid handbike. It is the perfect solution and gets me back out and about.”
He joined the Marines in 2004 and spent the first years at Taunton 40 Commando and Faslane Scotland. Specialising as a platoon weapons instructor, he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012-13 and was later drafted to the Commando Training Centre.
In 2015, he was drafted to 42 Commando as a rifle section commander and was injured on adventure training in the Middle East a year later.
While deployed on a maritime expeditionary force aboard HMS Ocean, an activity planned in Dubai was dune buggying. Unfortunately, the driver crashed and passenger Matt broke his neck and back, leaving him paralysed from the chest down.
Matt, who lives in Lympstone, Devon, with his wife Lauren and sons Harry and Rupert, is due to leave the military soon after completing his rehab but may face further surgery on his back to alleviate pain and discomfort.
In the meantime, the handbike has brought Matt some solace and the opportunity of independent exercise.
He said: “Since being injured, I have had the chance to try out a few different sports but I have found that handcycling suited me best with my injury. Unfortunately, handcycling around my local area is really difficult due to the hills and the combination of exerting myself on hills and dealing with back pain have meant that I have had to stop.
“With the hybrid, I have been able to get back out again as the electric motor takes care of the strenuous inclines that previously would really irritate my back.
“This is so important for my physical and mental health and I’d like to thank ALF for helping me to purchase the hybrid, which was too expensive for me to afford on my own.”