A SOLDIER who lost a leg in Afghanistan has given hope to an injured comrade who also fell victim to a bomb.
Sergeant Craig Gadd had his left leg amputated following a blast in October.
Despite undergoing intensive therapy designed to help him walk with a prosthetic limb, Craig found time to help a badly-injured comrade.
Craig, of east Hull, met the unnamed soldier at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where injured soldiers are taken immediately after arriving in Britain from the frontline.
Craig's partner Dolly Dalton, who gave birth in January to their daughter Daisy, said: "A colleague of his had also been blown up in Afghanistan and, like Craig, had lost a leg.
"Craig spoke to him and his family and explained exactly what had happened to him.
"His message was, 'Look what happened to me four or so months ago. Now look at me.'
"He wanted to give them hope and let them know the future is not as gloomy as they might think."
Dolly said it is important families of injured soldiers are also given heart by speaking to others who have been through similar experiences.
She said: "At first, you feel as though the world is crushing around you. That's how you feel at the time.
"But speaking to people who have been there will make you feel differently.
"We only wish we had that when Craig was injured, although the support from everyone was fantastic."
Craig is undergoing the majority of his treatment at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey.
He also attends occasional check-ups in Birmingham, where his wounds were tidied up by specialists in blast injuries.
Dolly said: "He has not long returned to Headley Court after his paternity leave. He's doing great.
"He has his prosthetic limb, but the socket needs changing as the shape of the stump changes due to swelling.
"His recovery is now down to his strength and determination."
Craig, a member of 299 (parachute Squadron) Royal Engineers, was deployed to Afghanistan to search for bombs.
But he stepped on a hidden device yards from the relative safety of a patrol base near Gereshk in Helmand Province.
His left foot was blown off in the blast, with doctors at Camp Bastion – the main operating base of British forces – later forced to amputate the leg above the knee.
Since the blast, Craig has helped raise money and awareness for forces' charities.
According to Dolly, Craig – a builder in civilian life before the blast – wants to get involved in Army welfare, in particular helping soldiers injured in Afghanistan.
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