The agony Army veteran David endures after suffering a knee injury in service affects every aspect of his life.
“I can’t sleep, I can’t do anything. I’m on so much medication it affects my memory, my mood, everything,” he said.
“It’s like having red hot electricity pulsing from my knee, up into my lower back and down into my toes. It makes me feel physically sick.
“For a grown man who did 16 years’ military service to be curled up in a ball crying, that's the sort of pain I feel daily.”
Help for Heroes is now by David’s side, helping him to take back control and giving him hope for the future.
A survey by the UKs leading military charity found that 77 per cent of help-seeking veteran and serving respondents with long-term health conditions live with pain daily*.
David, who served with the Royal Engineers and completed a tour of Iraq, lives with his wife, Joy, and their youngest daughters, Lillie, 17, and Alice, 10.
After spraining his knee badly in the Army, he was forced to go back out on exercises even though a doctor had told him to rest.
The nerve damage this caused has affected him ever since.
The Army was David’s world. But unable to keep up with the physical side of military life, he took the heartbreaking decision to leave.
He explained: “It’s exhausting being in pain all the time. The nerves are smashed up and there’s nothing anyone can do. I’ve had injections up and down my leg, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy.
“I’ve tried everything. I can’t wear a brace anymore because the leg’s too sensitive; so now I’m stuck in a wheelchair.
“I can’t function as a father, husband or friend. The pain drags me down that much, I want to take my own leg off.
“On bad days, my 10-year-old helps me get dressed. On really bad days I can’t wash myself.”
David heard about the range of unique support offered by Help for Heroes from another veteran he met while they were online gaming together with the charity.
“Through Help for Heroes, I have a nurse, an occupational therapist, and a counsellor. They've shown me a way forward. I’ve now got a voice and I'm not on my own.
“My occupational therapist got in contact with the local council who are coming to make adjustments to the house. Widening doors, ramps being put in, modified toilets, things like that, which some people take for granted, but for me to be able to wheel through the kitchen door is massive.
“My nurse, Karen, is chasing up a full diagnosis for me and has arranged physiotherapy to stop my left leg from worsening. She’s helping me see all the specialists I need. And I’m starting to make progress with some counselling.
“The support I've received from Help for Heroes has brought me closer to my wife, and I've got a stronger relationship with my girls. Without Help for Heroes stepping in and fighting my corner, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
After leaving the Army, David had a job testing and inspecting military vehicles and radio equipment, which he loved and excelled at until he was forced to give up his work because of his injuries.
“My biggest hope for the future is to get back to work so I can provide for my family and be the husband and father I used to be.”
Join Help for Heroes in their mission to support veterans and their families. Make sure no one fights the Veterans War alone. Find out more at: helpforheroes.org.uk
* Help for Heroes Veterans & Family Survey 2022. 77% of veterans and serving personnel (n=646), with long-term health conditions said they could not manage or found it challenging to manage, their long-term pain.
