“I Want To Be Defined By My Reaction, Not My Disability”
Former marine Andy Grant’s (above left) life changed irrevocably after losing a limb in the line of duty. Budding journalist Amos Wynn (above right), currently studying Sociology with Politics at Edge Hill University, tells his inspiring story.
Meeting up with Andy Grant in a coffee shop in Liverpool, it’s hard to imagine what things were like for him nearly ten years ago when he was injured whilst serving as a marine in Afghanistan.
At only 20 years of age, just one year older than I am now, he went through the unimaginable when he lost a leg in an explosion in Afghanistan while serving with the marines.
But Grant vowed that he “didn’t want to be defined by being disabled or an ex-soldier; I wanted to be defined by how I reacted to it,” and his determination to be clear for everyone to see.
Now at the age of thirty, Grant has done plenty to ensure exactly that.
He has become the world’s fastest single leg amputee, running 10k in 37 minutes and 17 seconds, 36 seconds faster than the previous record. He won two golds and a bronze at the 2014 Invictus Games, and completed sky dives amongst other tasks, and is now a successful motivational speaker.
Earlier this year Grant released his autobiography, You’ll Never Walk, documenting the big moments in his life, the highs and the lows.
Grant admits it was an “emotional rollercoaster” going through the thirty years of his life with ghost writer, Phil Reade.
“We went through every emotion, from crying our eyes out to laughing out loud, as well as some moments of real suspense.”
Discussing the different events in his life made the ex-marine “relive” a lot of moments and allowed him to think in more depth about the different things he had been through and the things he has achieved in adversity.
“I get a good feeling just talking about breaking the 10k record. I explained the emotions I went through that day and what it felt like when I crossed the line, and that put a huge smile on my face. I think that helped Phil [Reade] to see how happy and how proud I was.”
Putting his story down in words was something Grant had thought about for a long time before he started writing You’ll Never Walk, but “I didn’t want it to be just about being blown up in Afghanistan, I wanted to write a book about what I had achieved.”
After he broke the record and became the fastest single leg amputee he thought, “I’ve done something now, I’ve got something, and then I was approached by Phil.”
The book has received positive feedback, with a variety of people finding it inspiring, and Grant receiving nice messages from strangers, telling him what it meant to them and how it has affected their lives: “that was what we wanted, for people to get that positive message, that they can achieve anything.”
The 30-year old believes there is “nothing better than someone who has been going through a really hard time finding hope from your story, it does give you a little buzz, but it’s also very surreal.”
The fact that people could be sat on holiday around the world reading his book is a “crazy thought” for Grant but makes him really “proud”.
A few years ago, Grant took part in an ITV documentary, and says it hasn’t been an issue allowing people into his life.
“I welcome it really; I’m a people person and very open, so I enjoyed working and sharing my story.”
At the age of 12, Grant’s mother died and this “engraved” him with the mentality he has had throughout his life.
“I always knew life could be unfair. When I lost my mum, I went through the hardest military training but when life did get tough I knew I could pull through.”
Even after being blown up, he never at any point thought about quitting and accepting that the rest of his life would be spent in a wheelchair. “I always knew I had something inside me that could push on and get over this tragedy.”
The death of his mother meant Grant grew up being very close to his dad and two sisters. They are always in his mind with “everything I do in my life affecting them, from joining the marines in the first place, to serving out in Iraq and then Afghanistan, to eventually getting injured.”
A big thing for Andy was the way that his family and other people would see him. “I never wanted them to think their brother was once this big Royal Marine who is now in a wheelchair and doesn’t really do anything.”
“I try to inspire them and to show them I’m still the same Andy; they were proud when I joined the marines and I wanted to keep their view of me the same or even better, if possible.”
After the accident there was a chance for Grant to carry on life with both his legs, but he would have had to remain in a wheelchair. This led to his decision to have the amputation.
“You come into the world with two arms and two legs and you expect to leave with two arms and two legs, so it was sad knowing that keeping the leg wasn’t possible if I wanted to live my life.”
The decision to lose the lower part of his leg may have been “tough”, but Grant was driven on knowing that it could lead to a better life.
“No one likes having things taken off them, whether it’s a kid in school getting sweets taken off him or me losing something I had had for twenty-two years of my life.”
Despite ten years passing since the accident, Andy still finds himself fighting for compensation, with support coming from charities, not government.
“I think they’ve tried to wash their hands as quickly as possible, which is a shame. At times I’ve fought harder for compensation than I did fighting the Taliban.”
The accident had a huge impact on Grant’s outlook on life, making him want to “enjoy myself more and not really stress about things too much because I’ve realised we only get one life.”
“I was very young when I was blown up,” he continues, “and there was a lot of experiences and places in the world I’d never seen, so it gave me this attitude to kick on and try to draw everything from life. It gave me a kick up the backside and I’ve ended up doing more things than I did before.”
Whilst his injury is one of the factors that contributes to his desire to try new things, Grant also points to losing his mother as another of the reasons behind it.
“She was 36 when she passed away and I’m 30 now, so that could be six years of my life left, and that makes me sad. There are so many things I’ve not achieved and that she didn’t in such a short life, so I want to live mine to the full and try new things.”
That, combined with being a person who loves trying new experiences, gives him the strong desire to jump outside his comfort zone and to give things a go, to “stand up to be counted.”
“After all that happened to me, I think I was not put on this Earth to pay bills then die. I want to achieve and go places and live life to the max. I like holidays, spending time with my family and doing fun things.”
The grit and determination that Andy conveys must run through his family, as his dad is also a big inspiration to the record breaker.
“He’s done a good job bringing up three children on his own. Now, as a father, I realise how difficult it is to bring kids up.”
Despite sharing a determination, Grant believes they are also in some ways different.
“I’m more outgoing and I like trying new things, but my dad is shy and more low key and doesn’t make a song and dance about things, but he has his own personal resilience. I’m a bit more adventurous and wear my heart on my sleeve more.”
Grant also takes inspiration from people who doubt him.
“I love it when people say I’m lucky. It’s the biggest compliment if I can lose my mum at 12 and get blown up in Afghanistan but still love such a life and people think I’m lucky.”
This is something he takes as a “driving force” to continue “smashing life and keep on doing well so people have that perception of me.”
As a professional public speaker, Grant tries to get the message across “that life is hard and challenging and you don’t have to be blown up in Afghanistan to realise that it is tough. Whatever life throws at you, you can overcome it; it is about your reaction.”
His talks vary depending on the client. He could discuss communication and life in the marines or the pressures in life; just trying to “deliver the best service possible.”
Grant states he’s sportier now than he was before the accident, “which is funny”.
“I loved football as a kid but when I joined the marines I played with my mates but never played competitively. I was always fit and loved running, but I wouldn’t class myself as a runner, I never did any races or anything.”
He admits “being in the marines you are more active than the average person, but I didn’t have a particular sport. It’s crazy to think it took me losing a leg to do my first triathlon, to sky dive and to join mountaineers and climb some of the highest mountains in the world.”
It took something “dramatic” for Grant to realise all the things he wanted to give a go and believes “the positives outweigh the negatives” of his injury.
Even with one leg, Grant remains fitter than the majority of people with two.
“When I was training for my 10K I was running five times a week and going to the gym five times a week, it was quite intensive. I can’t compare myself to a normal person who might be working 9-5 and happy sitting on their a*se, but I wake up, take my dog for a walk and keep active throughout the day.”
Grant remains fitter than a few of his sporting heroes he had growing up, beating the likes of Jamie Carragher and Robbie Fowler in races.
“That has been one of the cool things that has happened on the way, that I’ve got to the position where heroes of mine are turning round and doing favours for me, like going for a run with them. They don’t ask me because they feel sorry for me; they do it because I’m their mate, it’s not out of pity, it’s out of admiration.”
It is an added bonus for the life-long Liverpool fan that “people whose name you sang and cheered for, turn round and say ‘it’s nice to meet you Andy.’”
The support from people, like Carragher, is an example of the help he has received from the community in Bootle, the area of Merseyside he grew up in.
“It helped keep me grounded. Life has been crazy, but I can go to the local pub and people still talk to me the same and it’s nice to know they’re really proud. The people may not have much, but they always have that sense of pride.”
Grant is defiant and states he wouldn’t change anything about what has happened to him, “the only advice I would give is to enjoy the good times more.”
Despite achieving so much, Grant’s plans haven’t stopped yet. He is going back to the drawing board for something new next year.
For now, his aim is to “make the book and my motivational talks as successful as possible and keep sharing the message.”