Bridlington man fronts surviving major trauma campaign

Sam Waddington had his leg amputated below the knee and broke his ribs, vertebrae, femur, shoulder, collarbone, thumb and nose when he came off his bike in a crash that left his vehicle shattered into three pieces.

Now his experiences are at the heart of a powerful new awareness campaign from Day One Trauma Support, highlighting the devastating and often hidden reality of life after major trauma.

Sam’s experience is at the heart of ‘I Lost My Life When I Didn’t Die’, a new awareness campaign from Day One Trauma Support launched to mark Major Trauma Awareness Week.

The campaign aims to challenge the widespread assumption that once someone has survived a serious injury and left hospital, their ordeal is over.

For many survivors, the reality is very different. The physical injuries may be visible, but the loss of independence, identity, relationships, confidence and future plans can be harder to see – and can take years to navigate.

Lucy Nickson, chief executive of Day One Trauma Support, said: “The frightening reality is that major trauma can happen to any one of us. You’re crossing the road when a car comes out of nowhere. You’re knocked off your bike. You fall down the stairs. In a single moment, the life you knew and the future you had planned can disappear.

“Yet most of us have little understanding of what happens next. Survival is not the same as recovery. For many people like Sam, that is when the hardest part begins.”

For Sam, becoming a peer support volunteer with Day One Trauma Support was a turning point.

He said: “I just wanted to get back to normal, that’s all I wanted. I moved back in with my dad and I couldn’t do anything for myself. It was so tough for all of us.

“It was a year before I could start wearing a prosthetic and the first one was a big, bulky thing that didn’t fit properly.

“We didn’t know about Day One at the time of the accident and looking back now there are so, so many things that we had to navigate alone as a family that Day One can help with. My family would have done anything for me, but they didn’t know there were organisations that could have helped. Having not had that support, I know how much of a difference it would have made.

“I’ve always had the mentality growing up that you just push through it, but when I eventually met other amputees, it really opened my eyes as to how much it could have helped me.

“So when I learned about peer support, I wanted to be involved. I’ve noticed people’s faces light up when they realise I’m an amputee because I’ve walked in normally with a smile on my face.”

• Find out more about major trauma and the I lost my life when I didn’t die campaign at dayonetrauma.org