Gregg Stevenson

06 March 2009 was the day I lost both my legs in a bomb blast. I was 22.

"I’d joined the Royal Engineers when I was 19 – being a soldier was the only thing I had ever wanted to do – but I was blown up on my very first tour of Afghanistan. I can’t forget the seconds immediately after it happened. I was on patrol when I stood on an IED and was thrown upwards violently. There was a deafening ringing in my ears, and I felt as if I had been punched so, so hard.

I was evacuated to the military hospital at Camp Bastion where both my legs were amputated – the right one below the knee, the left one above the knee. When I woke up, I was just grateful to be alive, but after I was flown back to the UK, I realised it was going to be a long, long road to recovery. I went from being a young, active man fighting for my country to being an amputee in a hospital bed. I went from having a promising career to having to face the unknown."

Later on, what turned Gregg's life around was a job at Preston’s Limb Centre and rowing. The job was a mental escape and Gregg took part in personal training courses which helped him lose weight and vastly improved his mental health. 

Due to his excellent rowing skills, Gregg applied to row at the Invictus Games and the Paralympics in Rio. He didn’t quite make the cut, but this led to him starting cross-country skiing and studying for a scholarship in sports coaching and exercise for disabled veterans through the Open University. Over time, his studies and working as a mental health practitioner for the NHS veteran-specific service ‘Op Courage’ inspired him to push even further with rowing and work towards competing for Team GB once again. 

The determination and resilience paid off, and so far he has two European golds and a World Championship gold under his belt for Mixed Double Sculls, alongside his rowing partner Lauren Rowles.

"Blesma has been there for me all that time, and I know Blesma will be there for me and my family for the rest of my life. Whether I need access to the latest prosthetics, or help with the costs of disability so I can stay independent, Blesma has promised to be there.

"Blesma set me small goals, gave me advice on prosthetics and gave me financial guidance.

I have access to a full-time Blesma Support Officer who always puts my needs first and, later in life, I know Blesma will make sure I am comfortable and well cared for – either in my own home or in special accommodation close to my loved ones."