Jim Ashworth-Beaumont

I wasn't able to get out of bed.

I certainly wasn't able to move around in bed because without the arm, it is actually quite difficult to mobilise.

So in order to see a pathway forward, it was really important for me to just firstly accept where I was, understand the situation I was in and then start planning, you know, a return from there.

Yeah, definitely.

It's being able to sort of break down what seems like an insurmountable goal into a succession of cycles and then make it manageable psychologically as well as physically in order to try and gradually build up your physical tone.

Yeah.

So my prognosis, my outlook was not great.

But looking on the positive side, my sisters, my wife set up Crowdfunder to fund a bionic arm.

Visions of the six million dollar man if we're old enough.

Yes.

And, you know, the promise of science is that you can basically rebuild the guy.

Well, yeah, I don't know if anybody can hear my arm operating right now, but I'm actually wearing a bionic arm.

Yeah, I'm naturally a bit of a fidget.

So that includes operating the prosthetic device as well.

I'd been crushed across my midriff.

So lots of rib and spinal fractures, yes, but a lot of soft tissue injuries as well.

My kidneys were non-functional for six months.

And then I think it was Christmas Day, they started functioning again.

And by the end of January 2021, I was given the all-clear to stop dialysis.

Yeah, I think one of my innate characteristics is stubbornness, probably.