Just because you change paths doesn't mean your journey is over. When Paul Johnson lost both his legs in an accident four years ago, he struggled to face himself and the rest of he world. But with the help of Scotland based amputee charity Finding Your Feet, Paul regained his self-confidence and has a new lease on life.
There are some people you meet in life, no matter how briefly, that leave a lasting impression. Paul Johnson is one of those people. He is both charismatic and courageous, with a presence that puts you immediately at ease. His openness is a reflection of his genuineness and you know when he talks it’s with complete sincerity.
Paul also has two metal legs.
Four years ago, Paul was taking a shortcut home and tried to cross a railway track when he got electrocuted from some of the overhead wires. The impact of the shock made him pass out, but when he woke again both of his legs were on fire. Paul managed to put himself out and drag himself away from the rails before calling an ambulance. But despite his best efforts, he lost both of his legs.
It was a night that would change the course for the rest of his life.
“Dealing with an amputation is tough,” Paul says. “You’re not just losing your shoes or something, you’re not going to find it again. It’s a massive part of you that’s just gone.
“I started my recovery just through feeling really insecure and not very self-confident. I didn’t want to get back out into the world; I just hid away from it. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like going outside and having people see me when I couldn’t even face myself.”
It wasn’t until Paul’s brother reached out to Scotland based amputee charity Finding Your Feet that things started to get better.
Paul didn’t respond to their support immediately, as he struggled to even leave the house. But Finding Your Feet’s founder, Corinne Hutton, stuck at it for years.
“Corinne invited me out for lunch a few times and I kept rejecting her until eventually she got me to go,” Paul recalls. “From that point on it just kind of normalised being an amputee for me. My self-confidence started to grow, and I started to go out more often.”
Today, Paul works for Finding Your Feet and shares his story to help others and helps other amputees, which is what gave him a purpose in those first few difficult years.
“Working for the charity is both self-fulfilling as well as that it just feels good to help other people. You’re helping other people but you’re also helping yourself in doing so. And I kind of needed that at the start because when you’re so down within yourself it’s hard to find purpose and meaning to push on and continue. So, I found meaning through helping the charity and through that helping other amputees.”
Recently, Paul’s been going to both primary and secondary schools to share his message, but not just to talk about losing his legs. Paul talks about railway safety and, in older schools, about alcohol awareness. He used to drink before his accident as he suffered from depression.
“I genuinely have no idea where I would be without Finding Your Feet,” Paul says. “The amount of improvements I’ve made to myself physically as well as mentally, or especially mentally, over the past couple of years since becoming a 'Trooper' is honestly amazing.”
Isolation is a huge problem for many amputees, and it has been proven that both quality of life and life expectancy is greatly reduced without social inclusion. A massive 30% of vascular amputees don’t survive to one year post amputation, and Finding Your Feet are key in addressing this. They support families affected by amputation or limb difference through a huge range of sporting initiatives, social inclusion projects.
They run over 50 cubs per month across Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Leeds. These clubs include activities like swimming, skiing, climbing, gardening, crafting, pilates and their drop in ‘Ampu-teas’ sessions.
“Its like a family, we have a community here,” Paul explains. “Everyone knows everyone, and we all know each other’s families. It’s a really beautiful thing we’ve got going here.”
What makes this charity so incredible is that they give amputees a new perspective on life. They strip everything back to the basics and show you what it is you really need to survive and be happy. Life doesn’t need to be perfect for it to be worth living, you don’t need all the best things, you don’t even need two legs. All you need is a family who can support you, people you can turn to, a reminder that you’re loved and that you’re capable of doing anything you set your mind to, regardless of how you are physically. There isn’t anything you can’t achieve, as both a ‘normal’ person, or as an amputee. Or whatever it is going on in your life.
Corrine lost her hands and feet to sepsis back in 2013 and set up the charity to offer support for all others like her. She is 48-years-old. In October she completed her ascent of the highest free-standing mounting in the world – Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania – and is believed to be the first female quadruple amputee to do so. She even managed to raise nearly £40,000 in the process.
Through Finding Your Feet, Paul managed to go abseiling and go kart racing, and looks forward to his upcoming challenges.
“I did an abseiling thing which was awesome. You think like as an amputee you’re not going to be able to abseil but, in those moments, where you have to challenge yourself it gives you a new perspective on being an amputee.” Paul says. “It’s not like life’s over – I kind of look at it as my life is now beginning.
“Hopefully next year I’ll be going on a tall ship which is specifically designed for people with disabilities and its very traditional sailing. You do the sails, you clean the deck, you work in the galley. It’s going to be tough work.”
For anyone going through an amputation, Paul’s advice is that you reach out to the charity.
“It is a really tough thing to deal with. But the only way to really start dealing with it is to start becoming more comfortable with it and for me what helped was just pushing myself out into the world and letting people see me as I am. Finding Your Feet is a good way to do that because you’re surrounded by other people who are in the same situation and you can share your experiences with them.”
From a man who couldn’t face himself or even leave the house, to a man who goes abseiling, gives talks to schools and helps other amputees. Paul's strength inspires so many others which was shown when he won the Young Hero Award at the 2018 Young Scot Awards in November.
“It’s been a long journey, but I am quite proud of myself. It feels weird to say that, but I definitely am because this time three years ago all I was doing was lying in bed not wanting to go outside and now I’m outside completely comfortable with who I am.
“I genuinely do prefer life now than I did before the accident and it's simply because I’ve got a new lease on life, a new perspective. It’s crazy to think that I can prefer life without legs than with legs, but I feel like I have a bit more focus, drive and a bit of direction. I still don’t know exactly where I’m going, but I don’t think you need to sometimes. I’m going with the flow of the positivity that’s in my life instead of dwelling on the negative."
