Chris’s story
The 11th of November should have been an ordinary work day for Chris. He went to work as usual but admits now that he felt tired and run down. Prior to his accident, he had visited his doctor to explain how he was feeling but he left without receiving the support he felt he needed.
From a very early age, Chris dreamed of joining the Royal Marines and he started to live his dream in 2015 when he was accepted into the Royal Marines as a recruit. Unfortunately, after 22 weeks basic training he sustained a back injury and then went through 4 months of rehabilitation and was unable to continue with his chosen career.
This left a big gap in Chris’s life, but being a very positive person and having a young family to support he decided to use the carpentry skills he had gained whilst working alongside his Godfather. Chris became very successful in building timber-framed houses and enjoyed his job immensely.
Chris lives with his dad currently and as a thank you to him for letting him stay, he wanted to build him a new shed nearer to the house.
So, on the day in question, he got home early to finish the shed. He was using a battery-operated saw and he had just replaced the blades. He had already cut two pieces of OSB board and was just cutting the third and final piece when a momentary lapse of concentration saw Chris cut through his index finger as well as his second and third fingers. Chris’s marine first aid training kicked in and he used his belt as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding.
The hospital was unable to save Chris’s fingers and subject to the recovery of his index finger, there is potential for another operation.
Chris says “I wasn’t aware of the Lighthouse Club Charity prior to my accident. It was a complete coincidence that my dad was in the pub and ended up talking to one of the East Anglia club’s committee members, who then arranged for a Welfare Visitor, to come and visit me.
Together, we went through all my financial commitments and talked about my recovery period. I’m still waiting for another operation but I hope to be back to work in a couple of months. Even simple tasks like getting a pint of milk from the fridge or holding something in my hand can be difficult and painful. I’m learning to adapt but I still get flashbacks from the accident and feelings of anxiety when I think about my accident and I think it will take some time to recover from that psychologically.
Trips to the physio and physical training are giving me the best chance to being back to work as soon as possible and keeping my mind in a positive place with a sense of accomplishment.
The support from the Lighthouse Club Charity has been great. It means that I don’t have the added pressure of worrying about how I will cope financially. I’d like to express my deepest thanks and gratitude to everyone at the Lighthouse Club, their help and support have saved me selling my van and all my tools and I will be forever grateful.
We’d like to wish Chris good luck with the physio, (you can do it!) and all the very best for a speedy recovery.
Chris’s story highlights the need for every construction worker to carry one of our helpline cards, so they know where to turn to in times of need. Without a passing conversation in a pub about Chris’s plight, he’d be struggling with his injury as well as struggling to cope financially. So, if you think you can help us with our challenge of getting a helpline card into the hands of every one of our 2.1 million construction workers then please visit www.constructionindustryhelpline.com/products.
Help people like Chris
If you’d like to know more about how you can support our work and help people like Chris, visit our Support Us page.
[button text=”Support Us” url=”http://www.lighthouseclub.org/support-us/”]
