‘Support the Wounded’ at Help for Heroes

Hi, I’m Jessica. Thanks for showing an interest in my Blog! Help for Heroes help in a variety of ways including Army, Navy and the RAF veterans that have been injured whilst fighting for our country. The war in Afghanistan may be nearly over, but for those who have suffered life-changing injury; their personal battles are just beginning. This is why we need to donate and support this amazing charity. Once you’ve read my Blog, I hope that you will know a bit more about Help for Heroes and some problems ex-servicemen and women have faced.

Here is Royal Marine Mark Ormrod’s Story. It was Christmas Eve 2007 when Mark was involved in getting one half of his section into their firing positions. It was when he went to get into his firing position that his life changed completely.

He set off an IED (Improvised Explosive Device)!!

After the explosion his first thoughts were to stand up and start fighting back to the enemy. With all the confusion and everything going on, he knew something wasn’t right. As the sand and dust began to settle down he looked down and saw that both of his legs were missing. He needed 28 pints of blood. After he got into hospital and was starting to recover, in his own words he said to the nurse ‘The morphine’s making me feel crazy it looks like my arms not there’ He remembers seeing the nurses face and she said ‘Mark your arms not there’. Mark had both of his legs amputated up to the knee and his right arm amputated just above the elbow. After 4 weeks of lying in a hospital bed, he was released from hospital in a wheel chair. His family were staying

right across the road in a flat that the military provided. One of the most depressing times for him was when he discovered he couldn’t do the simplest of tasks, for example to be able to fit through the doorway unless it had been widened for him. He couldn’t get up because his legs were too sore and the floor looked a million miles away. Marks treatment has paid off and he is living a happy life once again.

The cost of Marks treatment was about £115,000. The 2010-11 financial years was the worst year so far for amputations in Afghanistan, often caused by hidden improvised explosive devices. There were 75 over that period alone. Since then it has declined markedly, with 24 in 2012. Although as the situation is supposed to be improving, that may feel too high still for many. Help for Heroes need your donations to make sure every wounded soldier associated with H4H gets the same support and care as Mark did.

As Mark said “The injuries I sustained in Afghanistan changed my life…but they do not define it…”

Thank you so much again for reading my blog, I really appreciate it. Please now post me a response with your thoughts. In particular it would be great if you could write just a few words to answer to the following questions – and help in any way you can. Please feel free to have a look at the website: http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/ . Please ‘Support the Wounded’!

• Had you heard of Help for Heroes before?
• Do you now feel more informed about Help for Heroes?
• Have I changed your opinion about Help for Heroes? If so how?
• Would you now support my campaign by donating or doing one of their fundraising events? If yes what?

If you do post a response, please can you tell me where you come from i.e. your home town/ country. (If not UK!)

Thank you so much for taking an interest in my Blog!
Jessica