Injured Littlehampton soldier takes on charity challenge

Michael Goody, 24, almost lost his leg when his convoy was blown up in Afghanistan. He spent more than three months in a wheelchair, but his determination to get better has led to a bid to swim the English channel as part of a relay, to raise money for Help For Heroes.

Royal Air Force senior aircraftsman Goody, an ex-Littlehampton and Worthing policeman, was half-way through his first seven month tour of Afghanistan when he was hit by the homemade bomb, in October.

"The force of the blast overturned the vehicle we were in, and I was trapped underneath it for three hours.

"The whole of the lower part of my left leg was shattered: it was like washing powder."

Six operations

He added that the whole incident "was a blur", but that it had not stopped him wanting to get back onto the frontline.

"Its like having 100 brothers, and you all look out for each other. Even if I was in the field in a wheelchair, I would want to be there, to be there for them."

The road to recovery has so far included a lengthy spell in a special centre in Birmingham, where he met Prince Charles, and six operations, but yesterday (Thursday July 16) Michael set off to Dover to wait for the right conditions to make the 22-mile journey.

He is one of a six-strong team, who will take it in turns to swim one hour each, but Mike, who was a county swimming champion in his teens, has one problem.

'Petrified'

"I am terrified of open water," he said.

"Sea swimming is quite different to pool swimming, and, to be honest, I am petrified. But it would not be a challenge if it wasn't difficult."

The money raised will go to a programme called Battle Back, which aims to keep injured servicemen focused on getting back to work by providing sports and training adapted to fit their needs, a programme Michael has been following, and one that survives only through charitable donations.

* To sponsor Michael, click here.

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