Looks can be deceiving. You might think, for example, that having an amputated leg would slow Ben Lovell down, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!
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In fact, since he had his limb removed in 2017, he’s never been more active.
Ben knew something was wrong when his foot turned white one day. A trip to the hospital revealed that he was experiencing a blood clot. He underwent a seven-hour bypass surgery in an attempt to save his leg, but when that didn’t work, his only option was to have the limb removed.
Understandably, the drastic life change was a lot for Ben to take in. “I’ve suffered depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and I try to be as real as I can when I’m explaining to other amputees what I’ve gone through – feelings of suicide and the rest of it,” he said.
Thankfully, so much has changed for him since 2017! He discovered a love for exercising and mentoring other people who have gone through an amputation through the fitness boot camp he founded, Amp Camp. These days, he wouldn’t go back to his old life even if he could!
“If a genie came out of the lamp and said I could go back to how I was, I would tell him to get back in his box! Walking has brought so much purpose to my life,” Ben said. “In the old days, I only ever used to walk to the pub on a Friday night and stumble out the following morning, but I love walking and I’ve really fallen in love with the Lake District.”
His passion for getting active isn’t deterred by the fact that he is only able to walk 20 minutes at a time before he needs a rest. It actually inspired him to take on an even greater challenge… climbing the three highest peaks in England: Helvellyn, Scafell, and Scafell Pike!
Part of the challenge included navigating various terrains, which were often boggy, while not being able to tell if the pathway was even. “Helvellyn was really hard and pretty scary because we lost the track and ended up climbing the side of the peak,” Ben explained.
Despite the many obstacles he faced, he was able to overcome them and summit each time. As if that wasn’t enough, he successfully climbed all three peaks in just 27 hours!
Yet the numbers don’t matter to him. “It’s never about how long it takes me; it’s just about getting it done,” Ben said.
In addition to accomplishing these great feats, Ben has been thrilled to hear the reactions strangers are having to his story. He hopes he will encourage others to pursue their dreams!
“I’ve had messages from across the world including America. Doing what I do takes my mind off my problems,” he said. “It’s great when you get messages from people telling me how I’ve inspired them.”
It’s truly amazing to see what we’re capable of when we put our minds to it! Keep up the great work, Ben!
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