A MILITARY veteran from Llandysul now has a new lease of life after a wheelchair was repurposed to allow him to enjoy the outdoors.

Paul Waters – originally from Birmingham – has had a history of knee problems, but that did not stop him joining the Royal Artillery at the age of 16, although he did have to have a second medical just to make sure he was fit to serve.

The 55-year-old served nine years in the Army before leaving in 1991 due to his worsening knee and he has also recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Paul said: “I had a damaged knee before I joined the Army and had a second medical to see if I was fit to join and I passed that. But as my career was progressing the knee was getting worse and worse.

“I didn’t get a medical discharge but that’s why I left the army, because I was struggling so much with my knee. I ended up having 14 operations and a knee replacement, and then mu back started going, before I found out I had arthritis in both hips and a crumbling spine.

“I also have an ulcer which presses on the nerves, which is inoperable. And I’ve recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).”

He was given a specialised wheelchair recently after military charities Hel for Heroes and SSAFA joined a regimental association to fund a specialist wheelchair for a veteran with motor neurone disease, but the veteran died shortly after taking possession.

The charities were quick to realise that the wheelchair could benefit Paul, so Help for Heroes’ veterans clinical advisor Helen Neve contacted Able Mobility Solutions – who supplied the original chair – to request a design change to make it bespoke to Paul and his needs as well as to service and warranty it. The all-terrain electric wheelchair is now a godsend for Paul and allows him to get out and about.

Paul said: “The wheelchair has been an absolute godsend for me. I’ve always been an outside person, but for the last seven years, I’ve been stuck in the house. I haven’t been able to drive; all I’ve been able to do is sit and watch the telly all day, go to bed, and then get up the next day and do the same again.

“It was just destroying me. Having the wheelchair has given me a purpose; I can get up and go out. My mate lives about two miles away and I’ve driven to him, and we’ve headed up to the local café to have a cuppa and so on. Before the wheelchair, I wasn’t able to do that.

“To other people that will seem like an everyday thing they’re able to do, but for me, now, it’s special. It takes so much effort for me to do things; having MS drains me so quickly. So, the wheelchair is a godsend. I just couldn’t believe it. I’m so appreciative of Help for Heroes and everybody who’s been involved in getting it for me.”

To get support from Help for Heroes, visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk.